


Persona X JoJo: Phantom Crusade

by Anti_Mattering



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Post-Canon, mild body horror/horrific deaths, the kids are all gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-08-04 18:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 33,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16351439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anti_Mattering/pseuds/Anti_Mattering
Summary: DIO has appeared in Tokyo and set his sights on Goro Akechi. What is his interests in the detective? How has he come back from the dead? What does he hope to gain? Can anyone stop him?A JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Persona 5 crossover.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DIO wishes for Akechi to become his new special friend.

He pulled the trigger. The gun fired. The puppet did the same. He should be dead. But he isn’t. Why?

Akechi lay bleeding on the ground in an alley near the Diet building, the location itself only raising more questions. The last place he remembered being was Shido’s Palace. He never even made an attempt to exit the Metaverse, resigned to his fate after leaving his grudge in the hands of the Phantom Thieves. How could he have made it back to the real world?

He felt a presence behind him. Teeth clenching through the pain, he swung his body around where he lay on the concrete, weakly raising his gun towards whoever had approached him. “You’re quite injured,” the figure said, the words sending a shiver of fear and ecstasy down his spine for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.

“Identify yourself,” he ordered, doing his best not to let how grave his wounds truly were show through in his voice or mannerisms.

“A friend, Akechi-kun,” he replied sweetly. Taking a step forward, a streetlight cut through the shadows enough to illuminate his brilliant blond hair and hulking yet beautiful frame. The man slowly extended a hand towards the detective’s face. “Please accept my help.”

In any other situation, Akechi would have shot this man several times now. For some reason, though, his finger couldn’t squeeze the trigger, leaving his hand trembling at every attempt. Whether it was the pain, the fear, the exhaustion, or some kind of enthrallment was indecipherable at this point. Unable to escape or resist, he allowed the stranger to caress his cheek.

And, just like that, he was healed. Akechi was at a complete loss for words. Even his clothes were mended in an instant. Whoever this person was, he was no ordinary man. “Much better,” the stranger said with a seductive grin.

Lowering his gun, he asked once more, “Please identify yourself.” It wouldn’t be true to say he trusted this man, though he didn’t exactly distrust him after saving his life. His detective instincts were telling him this man might have something to do with his escape from the Palace, as well, making it imperative that he collect as much information as possible.

With a small chuckle, the man lowered a beefy hand to Akechi’s shoulder, squeezing it warmly (emotionally speaking, as his actual touch was ice cold) as he explained. “You may call me DIO.”

Akechi found it hard to catch his breath despite the fact his lungs and chest were undoubtedly in perfect condition. It was like this man called DIO was robbing him of his senses the longer those golden eyes stared into him. With a quick inhale, he asked, “First and foremost, why did you save me?”

DIO seemed to find this amusing. “Interesting,” he said. “You care not for the ‘how’ and ask me ‘why’ despite that being such an obvious answer.” His smile growing wider, he continued, “It’s because you’re special, Akechi-kun. From the first moment I laid my eyes upon you, I could tell that we were one in the same. Almost...kindred spirits.”

Akechi knew better than to accept these sweet words at face value. He’d been misled by rotten adults his entire life including his own father who planned to execute him after he outlived his usefulness. It would take much more than a few compliments and healing his wounds to earn his trust. And yet…

“In truth, I was curious about how you managed to save me, as well as how you were able to return from the Metaverse without me realizing it. Will you explain that?”

“That would be difficult,” he admitted. “I only know so much of how I came to find you. How I came to be in the...Metaverse, as you call it, is a mystery. As for how I saved you, though...” The air around them began to pulse with an energy that felt both foreign yet familiar to Akechi, some sort of apparition seeming to peak over DIO’s shoulder.

“I simply used by Stand,” he said, the being from before materializing in the form of a glorious golden being slinging an arm over its master’s shoulder from behind and placing its head beside his.

“Impossible,” Akechi said, stumbling back a few steps. “A Persona? How are you able to materialize it in the real world?”

He merely chuckled as the being disappeared. “I see. That confirms my theory. What you call a Persona seems to be related to Stands. Similar yet different. It’s rather intriguing.”

“Regardless of what you call it, that doesn’t explain how you were able to take me out of the Palace.” DIO reached into his pocket and retrieved a cell phone, handing it to Akechi. “This is mine,” he said almost accusingly. “How did you take it from me?

“An odd device,” DIO replied while dodging the question. “I learned how to use it quickly enough, though. It was a simple matter of pressing a button.”

Akechi began to realize he wasn’t asking the right question. Pocketing his phone, he focused on what had quickly become the most important piece of information. “What is your...Stand is capable of?”

“Quite the detective,” he said with a foreboding chuckle. “My Stand, The World, has the ability to unshackle me from the prison of time. When activated, I can move freely in a world of stopped time for up to five seconds.”

“That’s absurd!” A power like that couldn’t possibly exist. If it did, this DIO would potentially be the most powerful person alive. “You can’t expect me to believe something like that, can you?”

“I do,” he replied, demonstrating his ability from a position several feet behind Akechi. He had disappeared from his sight in a flash, not even a second passing when he moved out of his view. Even if he had some incredibly speed, there would be no way for him to do something like this, let alone move so far away from where he first stood, without some kind of reaction from the world around him.

Calmly, Akechi turned to face him once again. He was forced to realize that, should this man mean him harm, there was nothing he could do to stop him. There would be no point in struggling; instead, he would simply tackle things head on. Even so, it didn’t seem like harming him was DIO’s objective here. That in and of itself raised another question, though.

“If what you say is true, then I have to ask again why you would bother saving me. What use could I possibly have to someone like you?”

“I told you before, Akechi-kun. You’re special.” He walked forward, leaning down slightly to be closer to eye level while still remaining comfortably taller. “You’ve lived a life of suffering at the hands of those who resent you for nothing more than being born. You even resent very blood that runs through your veins. I know this because we are truly the same.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I, too, was an unwanted child. My horrid pig of a father drove my mother to her death, seeing the both of us as nothing more than a means of funding his addiction to drink. Even after his untimely demise, the world still endeavored to hold me down. But, just as you have, I clawed my way to the top.

“Many have stood in my way and I have overcome them all, though always at considerable cost.” He clenched his fist in front of his chest, allowing a small amount of anger to show through as his knuckles became an even paler shade of white. “A certain group of degenerates tried to rob me of what I had built. In the process, they killed my dearest acquaintances. Those scum attempted to do the same to me, but I wouldn’t allow it.”

Releasing his grip, he forced a chuckle. “I apologize. I’ve likely said too much.” In truth, he knew exactly what he was doing, every word that came from his mouth calculated to play to Akechi’s sympathies. Having looked into his heart before they met, DIO’s victory was all but assured.

“Maybe...” He paused briefly before saying, “Maybe we are a bit similar.”

DIO nodded. “I cherished those friends as much as you seemed to cherish yours. Sacrificing yourself for their sake the way you did… I simply couldn’t bear to watch you die such a pointless death after such a heroic action. Akechi-kun, you are destined for more than that.”

“Like what?” he asked, inhibitions all but vanishing by this point. Despite his better judgment, everything DIO had said validated him in a way he’d never felt before. All he wanted now more of this praise.

“Akechi-kun, I believe that we can change the world.” He smiled triumphantly, raising a hand towards the sky. “We both know quite well just how rotten this world is down to its very core. Alone, we’re nothing more than two exceptionally powerful individuals. Working together, though, I believe we can reshape the way things are into a better reality.”

As tempting as this idea was, Akechi couldn’t accept. “I’m sorry, but I’d be of no use for something like that. I’ve done far too many terrible things for you to trust me with so much responsibility.”

He scoffed. “Nonsense. All my life, I’ve been hated and feared by those who can’t understand my ambition. I’ve made hard choices along the way, as well. You’re no more evil than I am.” Extending a hand, DIO continued, “We can make a deal, then. Help me attain my goal of a better world. In exchange, I’ll help you work towards something akin to redemption.”

Though he appeared to be thinking things over, Akechi had already made up his mind. Something about this man seemed trustworthy despite all logic to the contrary. Even if he wasn’t, this was what he wanted more than almost anything else. Not only could he change the world, he might even be able to assuage some of the guilt he felt along the way.

He took DIO’s hand and smiled. “You make a compelling argument.”

“Excellent,” he said, turning around and beginning to walk. “Then let us not waste any time. There’s much for both of us to learn about each other and many things to prepare.” Akechi followed behind dutifully, feeling a sense of purpose like never before despite having just made the worst decision of his entire life.

“I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow,

 

It shall become the chains of captivity

that breaketh the wings of rebellion,

 

With the birth of the World Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

shall lead to ruin and new power...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akechi just can't catch a break. Finally tells one abusive father figure to fuck off only to get seduced by another right after.
> 
> Couple ground rules here. First, we're playing by my theory that stopping time is not actually The World's ability. What The World actually does is allow DIO to steal the Stand power of the Joestar bloodline, hence why he can manifest Hermit Purple for clairvoyance like Joseph, stop time like Jotaro, heal Pucci's leg like Josuke, and seduce Kakyoin like Holy. It ties into how he's always taken the position of the usurper trying to steal the power and status of the Joestars, so it stands to reason his Stand would be the manifestation of that drive.
> 
> Second, while I normally really dislike mixing and matching languages outside of instances where characters are actually speaking a foreign language loan words, I'm being consistent with the Persona games with the honorifics. Also going to keep names in English order for that reason, too. Probably not something anyone would be bothered by, but it would irritate me if I didn't say that.
> 
> Third, since there's going to be someone who's That Guy, Personas and Stands are basically the same. We all know it and that's the whole premise of this story.
> 
> Also, DIO absolutely knows Japanese. He spent, like, five whole years doing nothing but eating people, traveling, and reading. At least some of that time would have to be dedicated to learning languages. Had to at least be conversational enough to knock up Giorno's mom.
> 
> Considering DIO is Akechi's Confidant now, I imagine he'd grant the ability to manifest his Persona in the real world in addition to Mementos. It's never really clear if that's a thing or not, but we'll say it isn't for the sake of convenience. 1 and 2 could and it seems like 3 can, too, but 3 also had the Evokers to help them out.
> 
> Don't expect regular updates on this. I'll finish it eventually but it's far from my top priority at the moment, partly because there's some stuff I'm still deliberating on in terms of how I'm going to do some things in here and I need the time to figure all of that out.
> 
> While I've trapped you all here, anyone interested in reading a big long custom Persona thing? If you're new to my bullshit, my main thing is a Yugioh deal where I made a bunch of OCs and turned them loose in a setting that's totally disconnected from anything in the actual shows and just watch the carnage unfold. Basically, anyone want to read my take on Persona 6 before it comes out in 2023? Even if no one does, I'll probably do it anyway because that's how I am and I've got at least one idea I'm kind of into, but I'm curious about interest levels right now. Since it's me, it would have both a female protagonist and the option to be gay, the lack of which are basically the only issues with 5 from a story perspective, so it's got that going for it.
> 
> Nothing else to say on the matter. Next chapter comes when it comes. Atlus better not make me a liar with that release date prediction. Thanks for reading. Always remember you'll never see it coming.


	2. Phantom Thieves Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves have reunited. How long do they have before they're called back into action?

"Dude, you finally made it!" Ryuji ran up and grabbed Ren around the neck, putting him into an affectionate headlock and pretending to punch him in the ribs. "About time you showed up."

Ann followed just behind, pulling the both of them into a hug. "It feels like forever since we last saw each other."

"I'm sure you're not forgetting about me," Morgana said, popping his head out of Ren's bag.

"As if you'd let us," Ryuji said, rapping his head gently before Ann gave him a scratch behind the ears.

"Correct assumption," he said, switching gears immediately after that. "Lady Ann, it's been so long since we were last together. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but the author of that phrase could never have predicted just how true it was."

She laughed, missing the romantic intent behind his words as usual. "I missed you guys, too. Things have been so boring without you around."

"For real," Ryuji agreed. "Everyone's so busy with their own shit these days we barely get any chance to hang out. But now it's summer break and the Phantom Thieves are back in action!"

"Speaking of, where's everyone else?" Morgana asked.

"We were supposed to meet up at Leblanc," Ann replied. "They're probably all waiting for us to get back." The four made the short walk from the train station to Yongen-Jaya's premier cafe, talking about what they'd been up to at school and plans for what to do now that they were all together again.

"Guess who's back?" Ryuji announced as they headed through the door. Both the Phantoms and Sojiro's heads shot towards the door.

"You guys took forever!" Futaba reprimanded, leaping from her seat to run towards the group. At first, it appeared she went to hug Ren, though she only intended to pinch Morgana's cheeks from over his shoulders.

Sojiro was already in the process of making each of them a cup of coffee. "I thought you knew better than to keep ladies waiting," he joked, adding, "And Yusuke."

"You're correct," he replied. "I also do not like to be kept waiting."

"I'm sure the trains were just running slowly," Haru said, just happy to have everyone back together.

"Of course," Makoto agreed, walking towards Ren. "Our leader wouldn't keep us waiting on purpose, right?"

"He  _did_  spend a lot of time on his hair this morning, so it's no surprise we were running behind," Morgana said, simultaneously breaking from Futaba's torture while throwing Ren under the bus.

"Is that so?" she said with an accusatory quirk of her eyebrow, prompting him to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "Either way, it's just nice that you're finally back."

"Agreed," Haru added.

"And if it's any consolation, your hair does look quite good today." Yusuke placed his fingers together to frame the group, Ren at what was no doubt a point on the golden ratio. "Picturesque, even."

They wasted no time catching up, Sojiro stepping out to "get cigarettes" to give them some time by themselves. Though they'd obviously kept in touch through the chat since Ren's departure earlier in the year, it was no substitute for actually being back together.

"Things finally feel normal again," Haru said with a smile.

Ann nodded. "It's only been a couple of months, but it's like we haven't actually seen each other for years."

"Prolly 'cuz everyone's so damn busy lately," Ryuji said.

"Haru and I are university students now and everyone else is focused on applying to them," Makoto lamented. "We barely have any time to spend together."

"Everyone but me," Futaba said with a snide chuckle, enjoying the fact she wouldn't have to worry about anything like that for some time.

"Don't rub it in," Ann said, groaning as she remembered just how grueling the process of applying to fashion school turned out to be.

Ryuji sat up in his chair and took a drink of his coffee. "Speaking of, why'd you even bother, Haru? Ain't you still the head of your family's business?"

"I noticed you working at a Big Bang Burger recently, as well," Yusuke added to everyone's shock (everyone but Makoto, at least).

"That would be true," she said, "but I'd prefer to be of some use to the company. At the moment, I'm essentially just the CEO in name only. That's why I'm studying to earn a business degree." This was sound reasoning, Morgana in particular applauding her thoughtfulness. "And as for the job," she continued with a laugh, "I suppose it's to help me build life experience and better understand my employees. I want to see what it's like at every level so I can make better decisions that benefit all of the workers at Okumura Foods."

"She's been working herself to exhaustion," Makoto said while shaking her head. "Most nights she comes home to our dorm room and immediately falls asleep. I even had to carry her to bed once." She patted Haru's hand as she apologized for the inconvenience.

"I know what it's like to be fueled by passion, but try to pace yourself," Yusuke told her. "If your health begins to deteriorate, you'll be forced to take more than just a break."

"Could always just be like not do it," Ryuji said with a worrisome amount of confidence.

Ann had to resist the urge to smack him in the throat upon hearing that. "Are you serious right now? You're not applying to university?"

"What's the point, you know? Not like I've got a track scholarship to fall back on anymore, and I don't even know what I'd want to do. Figure I could just get a job after I graduate."

"The job market is going to be a lot smaller without a degree," Makoto explained with concern. "Are you sure you're making the right decision?"

"It's not like I don't have any plans," he said. "Ain't that right, Futaba?"

"Oh, that's right. They don't know." She covered her mouth and chuckled haughtily, the two giving each other and excitable look before announcing, "We're going to make a game!"

"Like a video game?" Yusuke asked.

"Yep!" Ryuji replied with a nod. "You guys know Futaba's been teaching me how to program, so we figured we'd put it to some use and make something. It's going to kick ass!"

"And we already agreed there won't be any crappy microtransactions. Just good gameplay."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Makoto said.

"I'm impressed Ryuji could be part of one like that," Morgana agreed.

"What's your idea?" Ann asked. "Wait, I bet I know. It's going to be some kind of bullet hell, right? With retro graphics and stuff? That seems like you guys.

"Well, we don't...actually...know yet," Ryuji said, trying to keep the optimism with a smile.

"But it's going to be cool," Futaba added. "Super cool. And way hardcore. And Inari can make the art assets for us."

Though initially surprised that he was apparently part of this plan without knowing it, Yusuke quickly began to consider the possibilities. "My art displayed in an interactive format," he pondered. "I'm intrigued."

"At least you're all enthusiastic about it," Haru said to hopefully put a positive spin on things.

"Totally," Ryuji agreed. "But that's enough about all that. What're this guy's plans? You've barely even said anything since you got here."

Focus was on Ren now who'd been content to listen and enjoy the atmosphere of his friends once more. Even so, he did have an answer for that question. "For right now, I'm thinking politics."

"For real?" he replied.

He nodded. "It's just a thought. Even if we're no longer the Phantom Thieves, we can still do good in the world. And after everything we helped to expose, I'd like to help move the country into a better future."

"That's such a wonderful idea," Haru told him, Yusuke nodding in agreement.

"When you put it like that, I kind of feel like a dick," Ryuji said. "You sure you can do all that, though? I'm prolly not going to be around to give the orders for you, you know. Got all that public speaking to worry about."

It was true and something he wasn't entirely confident in, but he'd have to put his experiences with Toranosuke into practice eventually. "No need to worry about him," Morgana added. "If he's in trouble, I can always gallantly take over."

"I'm not sure that really solves the problem if all you sound like is a cat," Makoto said with a laugh.

Their fun was cut short by a bell ringing out at the door. "Sorry, dude," Ryuji spoke up. "The boss ain't here right now, so we're not really open. Guess he forgot to flip the sign."

He seemed to ignore this, continuing to walk forward with his hands in his pockets. As everyone's attention turned towards the towering man in his sterling white outfit, he withdrew one of them and pointed towards the group, Ren in particular. "They call you the Phantom Thieves, right?" he asked them in a gruff voice.

"Oh, right," he said, realizing they probably weren't too keen on disclosing that kind of information to a total stranger. "The name's Jotaro Kujo. If you are who I think you are, there's something I need to talk to you about."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you, it's a pain in the ass trying to juggle eight different characters in a group all talking to each other. But I'm not going to make it easy on myself and split them all up into smaller groups because these kids are a family and they deserve to spend time together.
> 
> Couple of points here being that Ren has maxed all Confidants in this run (as you should) and ended up spending Valentine's Day with Ryuji since he's a fucking nerd even with level 5 charm. Also, I went with Ren purely because that's what most media give as his official name.
> 
> This would be set several months after the end of the game, so Ren, Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke are all third years and Futaba's finally gone back to school. If you didn't catch it, Makoto and Haru are dorming together at college. Could probably write a whole thing about their shenanigans alone.
> 
> I'm not sure why I thought of Ryuji learning to code, but I liked that angle. He's not the type of guy who'd do that well in higher education (at least not on the academic side) and he can't really bet on a sports scholarship, so it feels like he'd be wasting his time there. I imagine he'd have gone into programming with the plan of making his own game in the back of his head and then realize he's actually really into it as he got deeper in. He's probably doing lots of part time work to save up for parts to build his own rig, too.
> 
> I went back and forth as to who would appear to the gang. The Duwang kids would be fun, but they'd probably mesh better with the Investigation Team, and Passione probably make the most thematic sense since they're also some Nasty Crime Boys on top of being topical, but I had to go with Jotaro in the end. You can't just have DIO fucking about and not have him show up at some point.
> 
> Things are starting to get rolling now. Came out with this one quicker than expected, but don't get used to it since I've got a lot of shit to take care of right now. Just been unusually productive lately. Thanks for reading. Always remember to ctrl+f.


	3. DIO's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jotaro informs the Phantom Thieves about the upcoming skirmish.

"Phantom Thieves?" Ryuji sputtered. "Like, no way! Come on, man! We're just a bunch of kids! I mean, I guess they were a bunch of kids, too, but we're just normal kids!"

Everyone in the room, Ryuji included, could tell just how weak his defense was. "Look," Jotaro sighed. "I just need to be sure. If you're not, you probably won't believe a word of what I'm about to tell you."

A few seconds of silence passed before Ren spoke up. "We are. What do you need to say?" Though they weren't wanted criminals anymore, it was understandably a bit worrisome to disclose their previous occupation to strangers. Still, the group trusted their leader's judgment.

Nodding, Jotaro leaned against the bar. "Truth is, I'm not even sure how I knew I was looking for you kids. I've never even heard of the Phantom Thieves before, but I also know that name pretty well somehow."

"Sir, are you suffering from some kind of amnesia?" Makoto asked, unsure of what he was trying to say.

"Wait, I get it!" Ann said. "You can't remember who you are, but you heard about how the Phantom Thieves can change hearts, so you thought we could help you, right?"

"Not at all, actually." They were all actually getting a bit excited about the prospect of another mission, so they were a bit disappointed to have the theory shot down so harshly. "This is all going to get pretty weird, so I'll just come out and say it. I'm not from this world."

He let the wave of confusion pass over the team before he continued. "I'm not sure how it happened, but I wound up in some kind of screwed up tunnel kind of like a subway system. When I got out, I was in this city. It looks a lot like Shibuya, but it's different from the one I know. Earlier, I tried calling anyone I knew, but there wasn't anyone on the other end. And little details like that kept piling up until I was forced to realize I've come here from some other world. That, or I've just gone crazy."

"No offense, man, but that second option seems a little more likely." Ann punched Ryuji in the ribs for being so insensitive, though none of them could deny his story was a bit far fetched.

"Hold on," Morgana said. "Did you hear that? A subway system...and some kind of tunnel..."

For a moment, Jotaro's composed image cracked as he was hit by the shock of what he assumed to be the group's pet joined in on the conversation. "Did that cat just talk? Shit, maybe I am insane."

"You can understand Mona-chan?" Haru asked.

"Then I was right," he said. "Sir, what did that subway system you were in look like?"

"Lots of red and black with twisted tracks." Jotaro had adapted rather quickly to the reality of a cat that could talk.

"For real?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Could he be describing Mementos?" Yusuke asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"But didn't Mementos disappear?" Ann replied, verbalizing what they were all thinking.

"Uh, guys," Futaba said. "Check your phones." Any doubts about the man's story quickly vanished, the red Meta-Nav icon once again installed.

Jotaro adjusted his hat, wanting to move the conversation forward before more questions started. "I don't really understand what you're talking about, but that's not important right now. I just wanted to give you some background so you might believe me. What I really came here to do is warn you about something."

Reaching into his pocket, Jotaro retrieved a picture of a muscular blond man partly obscured in shadow, the only defining features being the jagged scar around his neck and the star-shaped birthmark on his shoulder. "This guy's name is DIO. He's extremely dangerous. I thought I took care of him once before, but I'm pretty sure he's back. It's a long story, but trust me when I say I can just tell."

He tossed the photo onto the table before continuing. "I'm not sure where he's hiding, but I know he's in this city. There's no telling what he might be planning."

Ryuji punched into his hand. "So you want us to help you take this bastard down, right?"

"The opposite. I want all of you stay as far away from this case as possible. I don't want to drag anyone else into this if I can."

"But we can help!" Ann protested.

"No offense, old guy, but we kind of beat up a god last year," Futaba said smugly. "Unless this DIO guy is stronger than that, I think we can handle this."

"He is," Jotaro said bluntly. "I don't know what the Phantom Thieves have been up to, but I can promise DIO is more dangerous than anything you've ever gone up against." Given how skeptical they looked, he had no other choice than to explain further. "He's a man who can stop time."

Now he had their full attention. "The last time we fought, he was up to nine seconds. I don't even know how long he's had to develop his abilities now. That's why I don't want any of you getting involved. I'm warning you in case he comes after you himself."

"Why would someone like that try to target us?" Makoto asked, trying to put on a brave face despite the gravity of the situation.

"DIO might be strong, but he's kind of a cowardly piece of shit. Always tries to get people with special talents to do his dirty work. I figure if you all earned a name like Phantom Thieves, you've probably got some talents like that. And if I could track you down, it wouldn't be that hard for him to do it, either."

He scratched his head. "Sorry, that's probably a lot to take in. Just keep your heads down for now. I'll come back here with a phone number you can reach me at once I've figured out where I'm staying. If anything weird happens, I'll come investigate."

"You don't have a cell phone? Futaba asked incredulously.

Pulling out an absolutely decrepit flip phone, he replied. "It's not getting any service."

"He really is from another world," she said. "But if you're just going to be coming around here anyway, why not just stay here? No one's using the room upstairs."

"That would be too risky," he replied. "I can't put all of you in danger by hanging out here longer than I need to."

"Dude, this is our city," Ryuji said. "We ain't gonna let some guy do whatever he wants. Even if you say you don't need our help, we're still gonna fight this bastard!"

Yusuke nodded. "Agreed. The Phantom Thieves cannot sit idly by as evil runs amok."

"Plus there's the Metaverse to think about," Morgana added. "We've got to figure out why it came back, too."

"Sorry, but we'll be taking this guy on, too." Ren was adamant about joining the fight. Though justice was obviously a motivator, it was clear they all missed their time as the Phantom Thieves and were eager to have a reason to get the band back together one more time.

Jotaro sighed, grumbling a, "Good grief," under his breath before accepting that his plan had backfired. "Fine, do what you want. Just don't blame me if you get in over your heads."

"We're a lot more capable than we may look," Makoto told him. "You won't need to worry about us."

"More importantly, I assume you're all Stand users." He paused. "Stands. You know what they are, right?" Their blank expressions said more than words ever could. Star Platinum appeared behind him, scratching its head to represent Jotaro's own confusion.

"What the hell is that?" Ryuji yelled, pointing towards it.

"Is that a Persona?" Ann asked. "Wait, can we make ours appear like that? Is that possible?"

"Have none of us even tried?" Futaba added, each of them feeling kind of foolish for not even making the attempt. For the next several minutes, each of them tried variations on summoning their Personas, Jotaro looking on in abject misery as he realized he would once again be working with a bunch of teenagers.

"There's fresh sheets on the bed and a blanket," Sojiro said, a bit apprehensive about a total stranger sleeping in his cafe. "If there's some kind of emergency, I live down the street."

"Sorry to intrude," Jotaro said, examining the surprisingly clean surfaces in the attic. Everything had been dusted in preparation for Ren's homecoming, making it slightly disappointing that he wouldn't be the one to sleep there.

"I don't know much about what's going on, but I don't want these kids getting wrapped up in any funny business."

"Maybe they'll listen if you say it."

"I wish that were true." He shook his head. "Here I thought it would be a normal summer, but now they've gone and gotten themselves into more trouble. I know they can take care of themselves by now, but still...I can't help but worry."

Jotaro broke from his stoic composure to chuckle. "I understand." He took out his wallet and pulled a picture from it, handing it to Sojiro.

He couldn't help but smile, their dadly energies aligning. "How old is she?"

"Almost eleven," he replied. "Her birthday's in a couple months. I'd like to pretend I need to find a way home by then, but chances are she wouldn't want me there to begin with."

"Did something happen at home?"

"My wife and I divorced a few years ago. I spent too much time working and not enough with either of them. I could say I did the best I could, but that would be a lie. Truth is, I was just a failure of a parent. Now I have to watch her grow up from the outside, though I guess that's not too different from before."

He handed the picture back along with some of that patented Sojiro wisdom. "It's a tough job trying to raise a child. None of us really know what we're doing. You probably don't need any advice from an old man like me, but don't stop trying. You might have made some mistakes in the past, but you could still make the best out of the future. That's a lesson I had to learn not long ago."

He nodded in agreement, saying, "Maybe some day."

"Sojiro, hurry up!" Futaba called from downstairs. "We need food!"

"Guess we'd better finish up here," he said with a laugh. "Speaking of food, help yourself to anything in the fridge. There should be plenty of stuff to make curry if you get hungry. Now I've got to get my kids home before they drag me out of here by my beard."

"Both are yours?" he asked.

"Oh, well..." He gave a nervous chuckle after realizing the slip. "Well, Futaba's my adopted daughter, but I guess you could say we've both started to see the other one as a member of the family." Clearing his throat, he hurriedly added, "Like I said, you've got the run of the place, so I'll be-"

"Sojiro, I'm starving!"

"You're going to be fine!" he shouted down the stairs. He nodded to Jotaro before heading down, walking out the door with Futaba and Ren in tow.

It didn't take long for Jotaro to settle in, though he was a bit irritated by how short the bed was. He nearly drifted off to sleep going over the different avenues for investigation he could pursue in tracking down DIO when, miraculously, his phone began to ring.

He wondered what had changed since his attempts earlier in the day as he opened it, extending the antenna and placing it to his head. "Who is this?"

"Jotaro?" a voice said from the other end. "Oh, thank God. We have no idea what's happening here. Where are you right now?"

"Shibuya, or some place close to it. You're from the Speedwagon Foundation, right? What's happening to you?"

"We can't figure it out. All of a sudden the whole building just seemed to move someplace else. None of us know where to go and we can't get in contact with any of the other branches or our families. And I know this is going to sound crazy, but I can remember it always being like this even though I know that's not true. It isn't true, right? I'm not just crazy?"

"No, you're fine. I'll head there tomorrow and we can try to sort stuff out. Give me the address." Before hanging up, he reassured the frazzled employee that things would eventually work out, making sure to emphasize that they'd weathered worse storms than this and seen stranger things. Even so, he had to question the truth behind his words.

"What the hell is happening?" he asked himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day into summer break and the Phantom Thieves are already being asked to fight an immortal vampire who can stop time. And this is still probably not as weird as their experiences in Q2 are going to be.
> 
> I know nothing like this would ever actually get made, let alone an adaption of my shitty story, but I really want an actual crossover of this just so we can have double duty Matt Mercer in here. There's going to be a lot of Jotaro and Yusuke in upcoming chapters and I am writing all of it with the intention of him just having the time of his life playing the two of them. I mean, I know we somehow got two Persona X Venom things, and Araki is constantly making brand deals with all sorts of weird shit like Gucci and the fucking Louvre, but...
> 
> I'd peg this Jotaro (period) at some point between DiU and GW. At least four years out from Morioh with the age I gave Jolyne here. I'm hoping to find a way to work in more Sojiro and Dadtaro moments, especially when they're all undercut by the fact he's divorced and his daughter hates him.
> 
> I could make a joke about Sojiro worrying about Jotaro getting the kids into funny business when the only "funny business" going on would probably be at his house in Futaba's room, but we all know Mona would fucking shank them if they stayed up a second past 10:00 PM. And Ren's a gentleman thief, so he's spending the summer on the couch.
> 
> On an unrelated note, have you watched Cassandra Lee Morris read bedtime stories in Morgana's voice yet?
> 
> Next chapter might give us a look at what a DIO servant Akechi is like, so that'll be fun. Or it might just be the gang shooting the shit in the Mona car as they explore Mementos update 1.1. We'll find out. Thanks for reading. Always remember that you should probably save that for tomorrow. Aren't you tired today? Let's go to sleep already.


	4. The New Mementos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group explores the new Mementos looking for signs of DIO.

Ren awoke to a familiar cell within another world, that familiar operatic tune playing in the background. He got to his feet, walking through the open space that once contained a door to meet with the two beings that stood in the center of the room.

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room," Igor greeted with his usual maniacal grin.

"It has been far too long since our last meeting," Lavenza said, obviously happy to see the return of their guest.

"I trust you understand why you're able to return here. It's only a shame it could not be under better circumstances." Igor leaned forward onto his desk, tenting his fingers before beginning to speak. "As you're already aware, the Metaverse you and your allies worked so hard to eliminate has once again returned, and with it a much graver threat. You have many questions, I'm sure."

Ren nodded, gritting his teeth. "Was everything we accomplished a waste of time?" he asked.

"Of course not," Lavenza told him. "You freed the world from distortion and allowed humanity to walk its own path once more. None of that has changed."

"It was merely an inevitability," Igor added. "If given the ability to choose, certain humans will inevitably choose the path of distortion. There is no need to fear, though. Your efforts were not in vain. The being you defeated that day will not return."

This was a relief to hear. In a way, it even made sense (something he couldn't say for all the concepts introduced to him by the residents of the Velvet Room). Shadows were a natural part of the human consciousness from what he had come to understand, so it was logical to assume they wouldn't simply disappear forever.

"More importantly," Lavenza continued. "We have summoned you hear at the behest of another. It is time you meet him, my master's master."

As she said this, a blue butterfly flew by Ren's head on a path towards Igor's desk. It hovered to the opposite side Lavenza occupied. "Welcome home," Igor said, almost sounding nostalgic. Suddenly, the glow surrounding the creature became more intense, enveloping the room in a brilliant blue glow and forcing Ren to shield his eyes.

When he was able to see again, another figure was standing within the Velvet Room. It appeared to be a tall man with a long ponytail, face partly obscured by a butterfly mask. "Greetings," the man said in a deep baritone. "I am Philemon, a dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Trickster."

Despite their obvious allegiance, it was clear that this Philemon was on an entirely different level from Igor and Lavenza. Both majestic and terrifying at once, Ren couldn't bring himself to speak. "I apologize for being so abrupt, but we have a pressing matter to discuss. As you have recently learned, there is another threat you and your allies must face in the near future, one possibly more dangerous than any you have encountered before."

He continued, "I believe this to be the work of an old acquaintance of mine, hence my appearance before you now. While I would normally play the part of an observer, as it stands, the game would be far too one-sided for my liking. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to help even the odds, so to speak."

"Are you the reason Jotaro Kujo showed up in Shibuya?" Ren asked, beginning to piece things together.

"Precisely," Philemon answered. "In order to ensure the fairness of this game, both sides have enlisted one from another world. Beyond that, however, I'm afraid I cannot offer any further aid beyond my guidance. You will still be granted access to the Velvet Room and all that entails, of course."

With a smile, he said, "Our time together will be short, but fear not. We shall speak again soon enough."

"We will await your return," Igor added. "For now, return to your brief moment of rest." Despite all the lingering questions he still had, Ren had little choice but to do as he was told. His vision was already going dark as those final words were spoken, quickly resulting in his mind leaving the Velvet Room.

Ren awoke with a start, knocking Morgana off his chest and causing the both of them to tumble from the couch in the Sakura household's living room. "What's wrong with you?" the cat asked, picking himself up off the ground after not landing on his feet.

Before he could reply, they both heard someone running down the stairs. "Are you guys okay?" Futaba asked. "I heard somebody yelling."

"This guy had a bad dream, or something," Morgana said, hopping to the couch. "Sorry about the noise, though. Did we wake you up?"

"Nah, I was staying up. There's a new episode of this American cartoon I like that's about to air, so I didn't bother going to sleep." Taking a kick at the back of the couch, she said, "I bet it's this lumpy couch that's giving you nightmares. Mean Sojiro forcing you to sleep on this thing." With a wry smile, she leaned in to add, "You know, you could always try out my bed."

"Hey, no funny business on my watch!" Morgana shouted. "A phantom thief has to be a gentleman, you know."

"Who said anything about funny business?" Ren asked.

"Yeah," Futaba agreed. "I don't know what you're thinking, but cut it out. Mona's got such a dirty mind."

"I do not!" he said, horrified at having things turned around on him. With the best approximation of a frown his cat-face could make, he told the both of them to go to sleep. "We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, so you'd both better get your rest."

"It'll be fine," Futaba said with a wave of her hand, only to quickly change her tune after a panicked look from Ren. He knew better than anyone not to disobey the command for bedtime.

They all quickly fell asleep to rest up for the trip into Mementos, Ren deciding against telling anyone of his encounter with Philemon in the Velvet Room for the time being.

* * *

 

Jotaro shook his head, steadying himself as he was once again met with the disturbing nightmare world he'd first emerged in when he arrived in this world. "Sorry, we should have warned you about that," Makoto said from behind him.

"The first time's always kind of a trip," Ryuji added. "You get used to it, though."

"It's fine," he replied, turning to face the group. "More importantly, what happened to your clothes? And what the hell is that thing?"

"Watch it," Morgana growled.

"That's Mona's true form," Ann explained. "He's usually a cat back in the real world, but here he gets some special powers and a new look. Kinda like how we get these thief outfits."

"Speaking of which," Futaba said, "why aren't his clothes any different?"

"Guess I'm no thief," Jotaro replied, hopping down onto the tracks of Mementos. "We can't stand around talking, though. The sooner we find a lead on DIO, the better."

"We're not gonna get anywhere on foot, dude." Ryuji grabbed Morgana by the neck and flung him into the air to his protests. "Mona, get us some wheels!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" he yelled back, though he did indeed assume his vehicle form all the same.

"It's still the same after all this time!" Haru said excitedly.

As the group filed into the van that had formerly been a monster cat, Jotaro gave a look that said, "This might as well happen today," before hopping aboard himself. To say it was a tight fit would be an understatement, the man's enormous frame barely even fitting through the doorway and leaving Haru and Makoto squished against the side in the back seat no matter how little space any of them tried to occupy.

"Sorry there's not more room," Morgana said, Ren putting pedal to the fur/metal and taking off. "This is as big as I can get, though, so you guys are going to have to make due back there."

"We'll manage somehow," Makoto said, pulling Haru into her lap for a somewhat more comfortable seating situation.

"Hey, I just remembered," Ann exclaimed. "We should tell Kujo-san about code names before we get too far in."

"Oh, yeah! Good idea!" Ryuji took it upon himself to make the introductions. "We all picked code names when we started out as the Phantom Thieves so people wouldn't know our real names when we were out...you know, thievin."

"Makes sense," he replied.

"Yeah. Anyway, our leader's named Joker, I'm Skull, and the car's named Mona."

"I'm Panther because of my mask."

"I am Fox for similar reasons."

"Oracle here, since I'm the guide character."

"I'm Queen, though I suppose my official position makes me more of an adviser than a monarch."

"I chose Noir to remind myself that I work on the dark side of the law, though I guess that isn't entirely relevant anymore."

"I'll remember that," Jotaro replied.

"Dude, you should totally pick a code name, too!" Ryuji said.

"I'll pass on that," he said, quickly shooting the idea down.

"It could be fun," Ann replied. "Something like...White Hat?"

"He's not even a hacker," Futaba said. "If we're basing it off his looks, it should just be Beefcake."

"That would be awkward to say all the time," Makoto told her, the whole group seemingly having agreed to supercede Jotaro's own refusal.

"Something artistic, then," Yusuke added. "Aqua, to coincide with the sea life pins on his outfit."

"Just call me JoJo and be done with it," he finally said. "It's the Jo from both parts of my name put together. I'm used to that, at least."

"That could work," Ann said. "JoJo it is!"

"I still prefer my suggestion," Yusuke grumbled, finding the decision to pass over such a rich sounding code name for one so mundane an insult to the arts.

Despite the urgency of their situation, the group quickly fell into old habits of shooting the shit while driving about on the tracks. They were powerful enough that the Shadows of the upper floors didn't dare to get close to them, so it left them plenty of time to catch up. Even Jotaro occasionally interjected into the conversation, figuring he might as well try to get on good terms with his allies.

"...And they say he still can't walk without assistance," Haru said with a smile, concluding a story about a man who'd tried to get grabby with her while she was working at a Big Bang Burger recently.

"Oh, shit! I think I heard about that guy," Ryuji said with a mixture of fear and amazement.

"Skull's actually informed about something?" Morgana mused. "I guess there's a first time for everything."

"I'm informed about all kindsa stuff!" he shot back. "I've been hanging out in Shinjuku a bunch, so my buds fill me in on all the gossip around town."

"You have buds?" Ann asked incredulously.

"Duh. Those two dudes who like hanging out there. Joker, you remember, right?"

"Weren't you two always running away from them whenever you crossed paths?" Yusuke asked, vaguely recalling that element of their beach trip.

Ryuji waved his hand. "Yeah, but it was all a misunderstandin. Comin on strong like that's just a thing guys do in that area, so they thought I was just playin along. We got it sorted out one time, though. They're actually pretty cool. Been givin me some fashion advice lately."

"So that's why you've looked so handsome recently," Haru said cheerily.

"Honestly, I kind of thought you were intolerant," Ann said. "Good for you, though."

"Why the hell would you think that?" he said accusingly. "I'm friends with Yusuke."

"Wait, is Yusuke..." Ann looked towards him.

"I didn't think it was a secret," he replied. "I'd said when we met I only wished to paint you nude for the artistic value in it. Not that you aren't pretty, Panther, but you're simply not my 'type', so to speak."

"Told you," Ryuji said smugly. "If anyone's intolerant around here, it's probably you for assumin things."

She rolled her eyes but apologized anyway. "Yeah, I probably shouldn't do that."

"It's not like Inari's the only one here," Futaba said. "You all know what I'm about."

Makoto nodded, holding Haru closer in her lap. "It was a bit more recent for us, but it's true. I'm a little surprised you aren't, Panther. You and Shiho always seem so close."

Ann began to laugh nervously. "Well, maybe. But I've never really said anything to her. I'm not even sure if she'd...you know, be open to that sort of thing. And we're fine right now, so why try to change anything."

"You shouldn't hide your feelings," Haru told her. "She's your friend, so I'm sure things would be okay even if she didn't feel the same."

"Want me to hack her phone to see what she's into in private? It'd be like going into a boss fight with a strategy guide. Learned a lot about Joker that one time I did it to him."

"Hey, watch it!" Morgana shouted as he was nearly driven into a wall. "If you can't at least drive straight, hand the wheel to someone else. From the sounds of things, I guess that leaves...Skull? On second thought, just be safe."

"I never said that!" he shouted, pounding his fist on the dashboard. "I'm just...ya know, picky. Would take someone pretty special to make me switch teams."

"Like Joker," Futaba said decisively.

"You don't just gotta say things like that!" he said, trying and failing to conceal his embarrassment at being called out in front of everyone. Off to the side, he noticed the grin on Joker's face. "What are you smilin about?"

"Did my feelings finally reach you?" he asked half-jokingly.

"You guys suck!" Ryuji screamed as they started to laugh, scratching his head and slumping against the window. The group quickly quieted down after remembering the stern Jotaro was still sitting in the backseat, realizing how awkward this conversation probably was for an adult who they barely knew.

After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke up. "I had a friend named Kakyoin once. Real artsy." Jotaro wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to imply by that, either about himself or his old friend, but he was hoping to lighten the mood after it shifted the way it did. Thankfully, it seemed to work, the kids slowly coming back around to conversing freely.

The group continued to drive aimlessly through Mementos for the next hour, interspersed with questioning whether Mona found other cats, buses, or humans more attractive, Yusuke asking if Jotaro would model for him sometime, and some slightly disturbing comments from Haru about how much enjoyment she got seeing the Shadows flee in terror as they approached.

"We've been drivin for a while," Ryuji said. "When are we gonna find somethin? A Palace? A distortion? A treasure chest, at least."

"This is a bit peculiar, as well," Yusuke added. "Haven't you noticed?"

"He's right," Ann said. "You'd think we'd have found a way further down by now."

Futaba nodded, bringing up a screen. "And I've been mapping this place ever since we went inside, but it just keeps...going. I don't see a way down yet."

"What's that mean?" Jotaro asked. Though talking shit with a bunch of people in a car was undoubtedly a bit nostalgic, he was starting to get a bit fed up with all the nothing they were coming across.

"Normally, we'd be going further down into the depths of Mementos through something that looks like a subway terminal," Makoto explained. "The further down we went, the stronger the distorted desires were, so that would likely be where some sign of this DIO person would be. But we haven't seen anywhere to descend yet."

"Do you know what's happening, Mona-chan?" Haru asked.

"Sorry, guys. I don't know what's going on. If I had to guess...maybe it's because the distorted desires of Shibuya aren't as strong as they used to be, so there's only one level to Mementos right now. So instead of layers going deeper, it's just one that expands out across the whole city."

"I guess that makes it easier to find everything," Ryuji said. "Still, where the f is everything?"

"Even the Shadows are alarmingly sparse," Yusuke said with a nod. "Oracle, can you pick up anything at all with your scan?"

"If I could, I'd have said something by now." Just as she replied, though, something actually did pick up on her monitor. "Wait a minute… Mona, turn around!"

"Did you spot something?" he asked as Joker reversed course.

"It's a person!"

"Wait, like a real person?" Ann asked. "Not just a Shadow?"

"Who else could be in Mementos?" Haru asked. "Is there anyone else who might have the Nav that we don't know about?"

"There's always that possibility," Morgana said. "After all, it's not like we're the only people who have Personas. We don't know how they'll respond when they see us, though, so stay on your toes."

"Try to stay back so we can observe first," Jotaro added. "If it's DIO...you kids should let me handle things."

"We already said we're not backin down!" Ryuji said.

"Think about it," he explained. "DIO knows I'm here already, but there's a chance he might not know I'm with you. I'll trick that bastard into letting his guard down before he all attack him at once. Best case scenario, we drag his ass back into the real world and let the sun take care of him."

"Wait, the sun?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. Kind of careless of me. DIO's a vampire in addition to a Stand user. He's stronger and faster than any normal person and could kill any of us in a single hit if we give him the chance. Keep that in mind when we're on top of him."

"Vampires exist? For real?" With a sigh, he rubbed his head. "This whole thing hurts my head," Ryuji said, verbalizing what they were all feeling right about now.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, mentally preparing themselves for what would certainly be a catastrophically dangerous encounter. A short ways away, they switched to walking to try and remain as quiet and inconspicuous as possible. Jotaro took point to draw the attention of anyone they encountered while the Phantom Thieves did what they did best and stuck to the shadows.

Slowly, they approached the blip that was their target. Though only one of them knew the full extent of the enemy they were facing, everyone could feel the tension in the air. A suffocating aura of menace hung over the already gnarly tunnels of Mementos, growing stronger the closer they got.

"He's around the next corner," Futaba said, swallowing hard as she watched her screen.

"I'll head in first. You kids stay back." Jotaro made his approach as the thieves slowly followed. Who they found wasn't DIO, however, but possibly the last person they ever expected to see again.

Though his appearance had changed, his identity was unmistakable. Eyes wide, Joker finally said the name that hung in all their mouths. "Akechi?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's something in here people are probably going to think is pretty controversial. That being, of course, whether or not people actually hear Aria of the Soul playing in the background. As any Persona veteran knows, however, that song isn't just background music for the games. In the first three Persona games, we actually see Belladonna and Nameless performing the song live in the Velvet Room, and despite not having appeared since Persona 2, it's confirmed by Atlus themselves that the two are still residents of the Velvet Room somewhere off screen. Therefore, we can conclude that they're not only the ones making the music when you're there but that they've added a few new members to the band since we last saw them.
> 
> Speaking of people who haven't shown up, Philemon decided to drag his ass back to work. I guess he got tired of dicking around as a butterfly and wanted to actually do something with his time. Expect him to appear again a couple more times.
> 
> This is what Atlus gets for not letting me date Ryuji. Now all of their characters are gay and they can't stop me. Matt Mercer would approve.
> 
> That all having been said, I really don't want to see any bullshit ship nonsense in the comments. I'm pretty sure the people who read my stuff are better than that and I don't have to say anything, but if you're the type of person who's going to get all stomping mad because Makoto and Haru are dating here or Ryuji's got a crush on Joker, like...I don't know, fuck off. I'm not forcing you to read anything. Mind your own business.
> 
> Technically, both of the predications made in the last notes are true, though saying we got a "look" at Akechi is kind of a stretch. We'll get a full description next time. Until then, it's up to you to patiently await the next update. Thanks for reading. Always remember Ryuji said gay rights.


	5. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jotaro faces off with Akechi to try and find a lead as to where DIO is hiding.

"Hey, kid," Jotaro said, finger pointing out towards Akechi. "It's not safe here. I don't know how you managed to actually make it to this place, but you should probably leave before something bad happens."

"Something bad?" he asked innocently, tilting his head to the side and folding his hands behind his back. "Thank you for your concern, but I think I'll be okay."

"Is that so?" he replied skeptically. Eyeing him up and down, this kid certainly seemed to fit the bill for one of DIO's minions. Long hair, tight black tank top, and those infuriatingly unnecessary pants that separate the legs from the crotch. Those were beige, though, and he kind of figured anyone associated with the vampire would at least have better fashion sense than to wear that color.

"You want to cut the crap already?" he barked. "You're one of DIO's people, right? How about you tell me where he's hiding and I won't kick your ass."

Akechi laughed. "It seems like you caught me. There's no need for violence, though. I'll show you where he's hiding." Despite the friendly tone he'd taken, the former detective's very next action was to pull the gun behind him and fire at Jotaro.

Much to his amazement, though, the bullet seemed to fly off in a different direction. "What?" he exclaimed, emptying the rest of his magazine as the man began to walk forward. "How are-"

Akechi found himself incapable of finishing his thought as a large blue fist collided with the side of his face, the Stand responsible for it screaming out, "Ora!" as he went flying. "Let's try that again," Jotaro said, Akechi spitting blood and teeth onto the ground from where he landed. "Tell me where DIO is and I won't kick your ass much harder than this."

"Impudent..." Akechi growled through what was almost certainly a broken jaw. He grabbed the teeth that had been knocked from his head and pocketed them, realizing he needed to run. Whoever this person was, he was far too strong to deal with in a face to face confrontation.

He called Loki to his side, Jotaro summoning Star Platinum in full for what appeared to be a confrontation. "Have it your way," he said. "Sorry, but I might go a little overboard. The last few days have been kind of a lot to deal with, so I'm kind of pissed off right now."

Jotaro moved in to attack, Star Platinum letting loose with another monumental punch. As he did, Loki appeared to cast a spell. "Wait, don't hit him!" Futaba yelled, the message coming too late through the earpiece to properly warn him. Tetrakarn's effects made themselves known immediately, a transparent shield reflecting the force of the blow back into Jotaro's ribs.

He went flying just as Akechi had earlier, clutching his side on the ground and cursing himself for being so reckless. He was already aware that Personas probably had different capabilities than Stands, so something like this wouldn't have been out of the question. The thought of taking down DIO as quickly as possible clouded his judgment, though.

Instead of following up on a downed opponent, Akechi took the opportunity to escape. Despite the position he was in now, he still accepted he was no match for this opponent his master had even warned him about someone with Joestar blood making an arrival in the city, the stories of how dangerous they might be reinforcing the need to battle this man only when completely ready.

As he was exiting the Metaverse, Akechi caught a glimpse of the Phantom Thieves emerging from their hiding place. He repressed the torrent of emotion this invoked, focusing on the pain and anger his injury was causing him as he fled to where his master was hidden.

"Oh, shit! Are you okay?" Ryuji was the first to make it to his side, getting down to attempt to do _something_ to help, though he had no idea what that might be.

"Of course he's not, Skull!" Morgana scolded. "Don't worry, I can fix this." He summoned up Mercurius, casting a healing spell on Jotaro that set his ribs back in place and reduced the bruising.

The efficiency with which he was healed was a surprise. "Not bad," Jotaro complimented. He pressed at his side in a few places, confirming that he was at least not feeling any pain. "That's an impressive skill you've got," he said. "Kind of makes me wish that mutt I used to know could do that. Morgana was obscenely proud upon hearing that.

"I kind of screwed that up," he said as he got to his feet. "Sorry about that. I should have tried to stop him, at least."

"Don't worry about that," Makoto told him. "You had no way of knowing what that person was capable of and none of us was able to warn you in time. The important thing is we learned some valuable information about our enemy."

"Or enemies," Ann added dejectedly. "Was that really Akechi, guys?"

"It can't be," Futaba said. "He died in Shido's Palace. We all saw it."

"Technically, all we saw was a screen," Yusuke corrected. "How he was able to fool your detection is another matter, though."

"And why the eff is he workin for someone like DIO?" Ryuji yelled. "He's just another shitty adult like Shido!"

"This doesn't make any sense," Haru said. "He sounded so genuine in the Palace. Was he lying to us this whole time?"

"DIO's got a way of manipulating people," Jotaro said. "It's hard to say if that's the case with this kid, but it's a possibility."

"Then maybe we can try to talk to him," Ann suggested.

"It might not matter, but we could give it a shot," Morgana agreed. "Almost half a year passed since we last saw him. Who knows what might have happened to him?"

"You can try, but don't get your hopes up. I said it's a possibility at best. All of you need to be ready to accept that guy as an enemy if things don't pan out how you want them to."

"There's no need to worry about that," Makoto said. "He wasn't exactly what you'd call a friend when we last met."

"More importantly, where did he go?" Futaba checked the surrounding area to be sure he wasn't still in the Metaverse somewhere. "He just ran away!"

"So we wasted all that time for nothing?" Ryuji said.

"It would seem so," Yusuke said with a nod.

Ren, however, shook his head. "That's not true."

"He's right," Jotaro agreed. "We did learn one thing. It's that he's not here anymore." This seemed to confuse the others, so he continued to explain. "That guy was injured. I hit him pretty hard, after all. He didn't attack me when he had the chance and he hasn't stuck around, so we know he's on the run. More than likely, he's going back to wherever DIO is. And to do that, he left the Metaverse."

"Of course!" Morgana said.

Makoto nearly slapped herself in the head for not realizing it sooner. "That would mean our target is in the real world, not Mementos!"

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji exclaimed while pumping his fist. "Now we know where to look!"

"That doesn't exactly narrow things down, though," Ann corrected. "Shibuya's still pretty big."

"At least we're making progress," Haru said to try and keep morale high.

Jotaro nodded. "It's a start, at least. But that does mean things are going to be a lot more dangerous. Unlike you guys, DIO can summon his Stand in the real world, plus that gun looked a lot more real than your prop weapons. If you met either of them while you were out looking, you wouldn't stand a chance."

"We'll see this through to the end," Ren said, cutting off any offers for them to back out.

"What he said," Ryuji agreed, putting an arm over their leader's shoulder. "Now this shit's personal. We can't just sit around and let you handle it."

"Suit yourselves," he replied with a shrug. "We should get out of here. If DIO's not hiding in this place, there's no reason to stick around. I've got something I need to follow up on, too."

* * *

 

"I'm sorry, master," Akechi said, his face having been repaired after returning to the condemned apartment building they'd taken to hiding in. "I should have tried harder. If I'd have just listened to what you told me and not underestimated him, I could have-"

DIO raised a hand with a chuckle. "It's perfectly fine, Akechi-kun. That man was far too strong for you to handle on your own."

"I'm sorry," he said again, clenching his fist in anger at his own weakness.

"I know from personal experience how terrible the Joestar family can be. That same man nearly killed me once." With a smile, DIO stroked his chin. "I do wonder how he managed to survive. I distinctly remember draining his corpse of blood."

He gave Akechi a pat on the head, asking, "Is that all you have to report?" The detective found himself unable to answer, his feelings once again conflicted. DIO found this amusing, saying, "I can tell you're hiding something from me."

With a smirk, he began to walk to another room. "No matter. When you feel you can tell me, I will listen."

"There were others," Akechi said suddenly, his crisis of conscience once again overcome by his feelings of devotion. "The others, working with Jotaro Kujo...they're also powerful Persona users just like me. They're called the Phantom Thieves."

DIO turned around to face Akechi once more, his interest piqued. "Phantom Thieves, you say?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Joker's in fucking Smash now. That's some shit.
> 
> As requested, Jotaro has literally punched the smug out of Akechi, here represented by the four and a half teeth he lost initially. Kind of came back to bite him in the ass after that, but that was still fun to experience. Certainly won't be the last time he gets punched.
> 
> I need to write at least one more chapter featuring them back in Mementos for no other reason than to see Jotaro try to cope with an enemy Shadow that's immune to physical strikes. That would be pretty fun.
> 
> As much as I'd want this to be animated so Matt Mercer could give the duel performance of a lifetime, I'd also just really like to hear the soundtrack with the fusion between P5 and Stardust Crusaders stuff and how someone who's actually experienced in sound and music design would implement things. Probably get some remixes of both while you're at it since Atlus has a perfectly good Lotus Juice sitting in the closet, so why wouldn't they use him? He's even got experience working with both franchises.
> 
> I feel the need to reassure everyone that Ryuji will say fuck at least once here. I'm just waiting for the right time to use it. I'm trying hard to emulate the writing style of the game, so I've got about two at the very most.
> 
> That's about all I've got now. Stay tuned for how DIO reacts to the knowledge of the Phantom Thieves. Thanks for reading. Always remember to guard your grill.


	6. Raiding the Armory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jotaro presents the Phantom Thieves with a new weapon to use in the fight against DIO and Akechi.

"You ready?" Ryuji said, doing a few leg stretches outside the Sakura household. Ren nodded, finally having an excuse to bust out his old Shujin tracksuit again.

"I'm coming, too!" Futaba said, a phrase that would shock just about anyone but Ren most of all. "Surprised?" she asked.

"I actually got her into running with me," Ryuji explained. "I think better when I'm on my feet, so we'd jog the neighborhood and talk about game ideas."

"Now it's just kind of habit," she said. "My endurance stat's through the roof!"

Not wanting to be outdone, Ren clenched his fist confidently, nodding to the two. The trio set out onto the streets of Yongen, leaving the back alley to circle the block along the sidewalk. "We ain't just here to go for a run, right?" Ryuji said, picking up on the true purpose fairly quick.

"It's about Akechi," Ren said, coming to a stop as they waited to cross the street.

"It was a pretty big shock for all of us," Futaba said, trying her best to be sympathetic.

"Yeah, and I know he was always kinda your friend first," Ryuji agreed. "Well, 'friend', I guess. Kinda stabbed us in the back."

"Still, what's he going to get by working for DIO? Do you have any ideas?" Ren shook his head, trying to think back to anything they'd said to each other that might give an indication as to Akechi's motivation. He wasn't even sure if that would be a useful strategy, though, as it was difficult to parse exactly how much of Akechi's personality or history during their time together was genuine.

"It just kinda pisses me off, you know? Like, this asshole tells us to finish things with Shido, but now he comes back just to try and screw everything up all over again? I don't get it." They were coming back around to where they started on their run, Ryuji being the one to suggest they cut things short that morning for the sake of being ready when Jotaro showed up. He'd said there was something he needed to show everyone when they met up.

About an hour later, he revealed what that was inside Leblanc after the Phantom Thieves had assembled. "These are something the Speedwagon Foundation uncovered," he explained as he set a large crate onto a table, Sojiro silently worrying over scuffs. "Apparently they found the plans on some island off the coast. Also, just to confirm, none of you know what the Speedwagon Foundation is, right?"

"Never heard of it," Ann said.

"Are they allies from your world?" Yusuke asked.

Jotaro nodded. "From the looks of things, it's just you guys who don't seem to accept them as part of this world. Can't complain, though. That just means we're not going into this fight with as much of a handicap." Undoing the latch on the case, he opened the lid to reveal a series of gun-like objects. "Anyway, here's what I wanted you to see."

"Woah, you're giving us guns!" Ryuji shouted, immediately grabbing one to admire how cool it was.

"Hold on a second!" Sojiro said, stomping over to examine the situation. "I know you kids get up to some trouble, but firearms are off the table!"

"They aren't real guns," Jotaro explained, each of the Thieves having grabbed one with Morgana pawing at a collar-shaped object. "From the notes they used to make them, they're supposed to be called Evokers. They might look like guns, but all they can really do is help you summon your Personas."

With a sigh, Sojiro relented. "I guess that's not so bad, but don't go waving those things around carelessly! If a cop sees you, I doubt they'd believe a story like that."

"Just to confirm," Makoto said, "when you say they help us summon our Personas, you mean outside of Mementos, correct?"

"Basically," he replied. "You guys are kind of at a disadvantage against Stand users, so we've got to find a way to even the odds."

"I don't get it, though," Ann said as she turned the device over in her hand. "Do we, like, shoot them out of the end here?"

"That's the thing," Jotaro said, his voice becoming even more serious than normal. "From what they told me, you have to put it to your head." He adjusted the brim of his cap, taking in their understandably disturbed expressions. "It's a little creepy, yeah. As far as I can tell, though, it's safe. I took one apart myself and watched it get put back together. It didn't work on me when I tried it, but that's probably not an issue."

"Still..." Futaba was particularly reluctant to try hers out, thinking back to how long she'd wished for death. Even just pantomiming suicide like this was a bit much for her to deal with.

"It's fine if you don't want to use them. I just thought it was worth considering."

Ren stood up. "It's worth a shot," he said, raising the gun to the side of his head. Despite his composure, he was feeling just as anxious as everyone else at the moment. "Come out...Arsene!" He pulled the trigger, a loud click followed by what sounded like shattering glass ringing out through the cafe.

At first, all that seemed to happen was Ren having his head pushed back. This quickly changed as a swirl of blue flames enveloped him, his Persona appearing from them to float behind him. "Holy crap, it worked!" Ryuji shouted.

"Did it?" Sojiro asked, sighing in relief. "You're going to make me lose my hair from all this stress. Can't you just do normal stuff for once?"

The mood began to lift as everyone became just a bit more comfortable with the Evoker concept. Ann helped Morgana fit his around his neck, the group resolving to do a test run together when they had more space.

"I've got people looking for anything else that might give us an advantage," Jotaro said. "In the meantime, do like your guardian said and don't just whip them out whenever you feel like. Guns are still illegal in this country, right?"

"I'll keep them in check," Morgana said, admiring his own reflection in the shiny lid of the case.

"We promise to only use them when we absolutely need to," Haru said on behalf of the group.

Jotaro placed a small stack of papers on the table next. "I also went and got a list of abandoned properties around the city. If I know DIO, he's probably hiding in one of these like a rat."

As they divided the papers among themselves, Yusuke was the first to address the obvious annoyance here. "There are truly this many abandoned buildings in Shibuya?"

"We might have had a better chance searching Mementos," Ann agreed.

"Not necessarily," Futaba said with a smile. "Hey, Jotaro. Can you email this list to me? It'd be easier than typing it all in by hand."

"I guess," he said. "What do you need it for?"

"I'm going to make our list a little shorter. All I've got to do is set up some new alerts for the areas around the buildings and then watch as it gets shorter. DIO's a vampire, right? Someone's got to be reporting on weird stuff happening wherever he's hiding."

"That's not a bad idea," he replied. "Impressive."

"You're amazing, Futaba-chan!"

"Don't I know it!" Despite the bravado, Futaba was still very worried. Things had worked out fine when Ren had tried the Evoker, but what if they went wrong with her? Anxiety was building inside her over the thought of actually having to use it at some point, trying her best to distract herself with this work to avoid thinking about it.

Her fears had gotten so strong by the time the group left for the day that she nearly "forgot" her tool on the table. Even just holding the thing in her hands made her nervous. With any luck, though, she'd never have to pull that trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we're closing in on the endgame now. I'd say we've got about 10 or 12 chapters in total once this is all over. Don't quote me on that, though, since there's a distinct possibility we make it longer. Just depends on how the story shakes out.
> 
> I'd always planned on bringing back the Evokers once I had the idea of having Philemon show up again. It seemed like the best way to even the playing field between Stands and Personas. Akechi had a while to train with DIO and learn to do it organically, so the Thieves had to have something to put them on his level.
> 
> Futaba will be playing the role of Yukari in today's production. Not that she isn't justified in it. I guess we can just hope she's never put in a situation where she has to use Prometheus in the real world.
> 
> People are probably going to ask why Joker has Arsene still when everyone else has their Ultimate Personas. It's mostly out of convenience, since trying to have Satanael pop into most spaces would be impossible given his size. He's still got access to him, but he usually prefers to summon Arsene or another Persona to take care of most situations. Basically the same logic as why Jotaro isn't using the time stop to solve all his problems (minus the DIO-related trauma associated with that ability).
> 
> I'm kind of speedrunning updates at this point to try and close out some of my shorter ongoing series now that I've - for reasons beyond all logic - forced myself into three very long ongoing series that I'll hopefully have regular updates for. Speaking of which, if you're in need of more hot, steamy Persona action, go back to my page and look at my newest Persona eXtra. It's got a female protagonist and she's just the worst right now. You'll love her.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Always remember to blast that Linkin Park whenever Persona 3 shows up.


	7. Rivals Across Time and Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DIO finally makes his move.

Ren and Ryuji strolled through the door to Leblanc around sunset, talking about this really cool weightlifter guy they'd seen on TV recently. "He's, like, the strongest guy in Japan right now!" Ryuji said, waving his arms enthusiastically. "He lifted that truck like it was nothin!"

"Maybe he should join the team," Ren joked, Ryuji shoving him in the shoulder. The two quickly came to a halt after seeing the large customer sitting at the bar, daintily sipping a cup of coffee despite his huge frame.

"You kids want some coffee?" Sojiro asked.

"Uh, sure," Ryuji said, unsure as to why the blond man simply enjoying a drink seemed to off to him.

"Coming right up," he replied, grabbing a pair of cups for the two.

"It's quite excellent," the stranger said, his voice silky and authoritative all at once. "You should be proud of your work, sir."

"Well, it's a passion of mine," Sojiro said, evidently enjoying the praise.

"Thank you for the beverage," he said with a nod, standing up from his seat. "I must be off now."

"If you're not leaving town for a while, stop by again any time. It's refreshing to have someone who really seems to know a cup of coffee." He glanced towards Ren as he said the last part, forcing him to remember the disastrous brew he'd made the day after coming back for the summer. All the training he'd done during probation seemed to have leaked out of his brain.

"Of course," the man said, sending a smile towards the teenagers as he went for the door. As he opened it, Morgana attempted to slink through the passage only to immediately jump back, fur standing on end. "How amusing," the man said with a chuckle, what must have seemed like an ordinary cat hissing furiously at him for no apparent reason.

Mona entered the building at the last moment as the door was closing, not wanting to take his eyes off the stranger for even a moment. "Who the hell was that guy?" he yelled, practically sprinting to the booth his friend occupied.

"Just some dude," Ryuji said. "What, he step on your tail?"

"I...I don't know. It was like..." He shuddered. "It felt like I was about to throw up just being near him."

"Kind of feels bad to say, but...I get what you mean." Sojiro came to deliver their coffee, Ryuji taking a sip before he continued. "I don't really get why, but that dude made my skin crawl. Did you guys feel it?"

"Seemed pretty normal to me," Sojiro said. Ren, on the other hand, nodded tentatively. "You're probably just worked up from all that Phantom Thieves stuff. Jumping at shadows."

"The chief might be right," Morgana admitted. "Still, maybe we should tell Jotaro or the others. Like they say, better safe than sorry."

"That's cool," Ryuji said, Ren already taking out his phone to ask the group chat if they'd seen a tall, blond, white guy with a deep voice anywhere lately.

"Like, outside?" Futaba wrote. "Because I've seen a few of those on TV and stuff."

"I can't be sure, but I think I may know who you're talking about," Yusuke replied. "It was only a glimpse, but I believe there was a man with that description around my school's dorms earlier."

"This is going to sound real freaky, but I think I saw him, too!" Ann added. "I was shopping near the station and this weird older guy asked what I was looking for. He wasn't an employee or anything."

"I think Haru and I saw him, as well," Makoto typed.

Haru continued the thought. "We were having lunch in a cafe and a stranger matching that description seemed to be watching us from another table. I think I commented on it, didn't I?"

"What the hell?" Ryuji said to Ren, typing out, "It's like this guy's been followin us!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Makoto warned. "It could simply be a coincidence, or perhaps we're misremembering the details."

"That's still kind of freaky," Futaba said. "Did he try anything weird?"

"It was pretty weird to just talk to me like that, but I guess not," Ann replied.

"As far as I could tell, he was simply looking at the dorms and school from across the street," wrote Yusuke.

"He almost looked friendly," Haru added.

"Did anyone take a picture or something?" Futaba asked. "It might be easier if we knew we were even talking about the same guy. There are a lot of tourists in Shibuya this time of year."

"I did," Ann replied. "I was kind of surprised, so I turned on my camera just to, you know, have a picture if he was some kind of creep." As the picture loaded into chat, all of them wrote to confirm that it was indeed the same man.

"This is just getting weirder," Morgana said, following the conversation from over Ren's shoulder.

"We should tell Jotaro," their leader wrote.

"Yo, Boss," Ryuji said. "Do you know where Jotaro's at right now? We need to tell him somethin."

Scratching his beard, he answered, "Not sure. He left early in the morning. Said something about a wagon, I think. No clue what that meant."

"Probably the Speedwagon Foundation he told us about," Morgana said with a nod.

"It's getting late, so he might be coming back soon," Sojiro added. "If you guys just want to wait, I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later."

* * *

Across the city, Jotaro was just leaving the Speedwagon Foundation headquarters. They were looking into more of the data collected from Tatsumi Port Island to learn more about the nature of Personas and how they might differ from Stands, hoping to find a weakness to exploit in Akechi.

Given how late it was, the streets were slightly more clear by Tokyo standards, meaning he should be able to make good time back to the cafe. He was going to suggest he move to the Speedwagon Foundation building to try and minimize the danger Sojiro was in. That, and he simply didn't want to be any more of a burden than he already was.

As he stood at a crosswalk waiting for the light to change, he heard a familiar voice from behind him that immediately set him on edge. "We meet again, Jotaro Kujo." Though he couldn't see him, it was quite clearly the boy he'd fought in the other world, Goro Akechi.

Concealing his identity with a hat and unassuming casual clothes, he was able to move freely even during the day. After all, no one was looking for someone they assumed was dead. He'd learned that trick from Joker.

"You're probably about to punch me again, correct?" He laughed to himself. "Go ahead, then. Summon your Star Platinum, beat me to a pulp. Before you do, though, I'd like you to know something." Though he didn't respond, it was clear Jotaro was listening intently. "My Persona, Loki – the one you saw before – it has a special ability to cause a psychotic break in the minds of others. It's clear you have the advantage in both power and speed, but are you confident enough to try and attack me with people around.

Jotaro grit his teeth. Despite what he'd observed before, there were still plenty of people in the immediate area who could be caught in the crossfire if they decided to fight right now. "My master has taught me many things since we joined forces, so I have no problem doing that in the real world now."

"Do you just like to hear yourself talk or do you have something to say?"

He laughed again, the two crossing the street with a few others. "That's merely a perk of making these announcements. More to the point, I'm here to deliver a message to you. As we speak, my master has found each of your allies, the Phantom Thieves. You'll do exactly as I say. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what will happen if you don't."

His rage building, Jotaro was finding it difficult to continue listening to this upstart speak like he had the advantage. "You'll turn left. We're going to see my master. He'd like a chance to talk with you and settle things with...minimal casualties."

For the sake of finding DIO, Jotaro did as he was instructed. Really, this almost seemed like the best way this could work out. He'd finish DIO just like he did before, keeping the kids from getting hurt or from seeing what he'd likely have to do to their former friend.

The location of the vampire's hideout wasn't that far. They walked for nearly ten minutes at most, Akechi talking incessantly to keep up appearances of a friendly if one-sided conversation. All that did was piss him off more, ensuring he'd be ready to leap into action the second he saw DIO's face.

"We've made it," Akechi said as they stood outside an abandoned apartment building. "Please, after you."

Jotaro shoved open the door roughly, making his way up several flights of stairs before being told to stop. According to Akechi, the man he hated more than anyone else was right behind the door. As he stepped through, there was DIO sitting on a makeshift throne, smug sneer plastered on his face.

"Jotaro!" he greeted as if they were old friends. "Finally, we can meet face to face. I'm sure we've met before, though given that you're currently breathing, I'd say it was under much different circumstances from your perspective."

Not bothering to wait for a response, he simply continued speaking. "Now, I know what you're thinking and, yes, we certainly could play another game of cat and mouse across this country. I could send my minions to battle you one after the other, you could defeat them, then we would settle things ourselves after a time."

He chuckled. "Frankly, I find that tiring. With my body healed and, if I might say, stronger than ever, I no longer require that sort of stalling to deal with you. Not that I'd have minions to send this time. The only one worthy of my time in this world is Akechi-kun."

DIO stood, walking calmly towards Jotaro. "For that reason, I will grant you a swift death in honor of your heritage as a Joestar. Your family has helped me rise to heights I never thought possible, so I won't bother making you suffer this time. I'll also allow your allies to live. They'll be treated the same as everyone else once I've reached my goal."

As the vampire stood smiling in front of him, The World appearing off to the side, Jotaro had only one thing to say to all that garbage. "You know, I'm actually kind of impressed," he began. "This whole place you're in is a real pile of shit. It'll look almost as bad as your face once I'm done with you."

Unsurprisingly, DIO had been hoping for this sort of defiance from the start. What he hadn't counted on, though, was that this Jotaro could stop time. As The World directed a punch towards its enemy's head, DIO felt himself stop in place. "What?"

He didn't have the time to activate his own ability in response before Star Platinum punched a hole through his gut. Time resumed after barely a second, DIO crashing through the wall of the apartment and landing in the moonlit street below.

"Master!" Akechi cried out, barely having time to summon Loki to cushion the blow from Jotaro's backhanded punch. Despite reducing the damage, it still sent him through the door behind them.

"Stay out of this, kid," Jotaro said, walking towards the hole he'd put in the apartment. Unsurprisingly, DIO was on his feet already, the wound magically vanishing without a trace.

"Quite interesting," DIO said as Jotaro jumped down to his level. "It appears you've matched my The World's ability. The other you never managed that feat." He grinned devilishly, excited by the prospect of testing his limits against such a powerful enemy. "Care to see which of us has the stronger Stand?"

Jotaro didn't say a word as he walked towards DIO, his memories flashing back to their climactic showdown all those years ago. Just thinking about it made his blood boil, Star Platinum's fists clenching as he came within striking distance.

Without another word, the fight began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the third chapter of something I posted today. I must hate myself even more than I thought I did.
> 
> It's like I thought, things really are getting close to the end. Why else would there be such heavy Stardust Crusaders parallels going on when Jotaro and DIO finally meet?
> 
> Don't misunderstand, though. I don't think we'll actually make it to the end for another five chapters at the very least. There's a good amount of stuff that's still going to happen that'll hopefully throw you for a loop. Probably can't match the initial reveal of DIO's time stop and the subsequent change to the opening during the DIO's World arc, but it'll be...something.
> 
> Hopefully Jotaro can handle an even more powerful DIO and Akechi all by himself. He'd isolated from the kids, so he's kind of in it all by himself now. I guess those Evokers were pointless in the end.
> 
> That's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you're enjoying. Always remember to trust animals when they dislike a man.


	8. Futaba's Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jotaro and DIO face off once more.

Star Platinum and The World let a flurry of punches fly, matching each other blow for blow with a chorus of Oras and Mudas. Their users stood stoically only a few feet apart, maximizing the power each of their Stands had as they attempted to gain ground against one another.

While it may have appeared as though they were evenly matched, the truth was Jotaro had no hope of winning in a battle of pure strength. While their Stands might have the same power, DIO's immortality gave him something Jotaro could never match – youth.

Having not aged a day since their battle, DIO was just as powerful as he was in Egypt if not more so. Jotaro, on the other hand, was already pushing 30, the numerous injuries he'd received over his dangerous lifetime beginning to catch up with him.

It was slow, but even an amateur could see The World beginning to overtake Star Platinum. A punch here and there managed to graze the other Stand in places, the obvious twinge of pain from a muscle screaming for relief showing just so on Jotaro's face.

"Useless!" DIO cried, spotting an opening and sending a punch straight into Jotaro's right shoulder. Despite only emitting a deep grunt in response, that blow hurt like hell, dislocating his arm and cracking the bone. "What's wrong, Jotaro? Have you begun to feel the passage of time?"

Jumping backwards, Jotaro used Star Platinum to reset his arm, gritting his teeth at the extreme amount of pain he was in this early on. Luckily, his anger still outmatched whatever was hurting him, allowing him to continue fighting with everything he had.

"How disappointing," he said with a smirk. "I expected more from a man of the Joestar bloodline, especially the one who managed to defeat me in another world. You're no stronger than the weakling I crushed in Cairo, though."

"Star Finger!" Jotaro cried, the index and middle finger on Star Platinum's left hand flying forward toward DIO's forehead. He dodged it, of course, the digits seeming to move in almost slow motion from his perspective.

Grabbing hold, he began to squeeze. "Is this the best you can do?" he said, almost sounding disappointed. This changed, however, when Jotaro himself came rocketing forward, Star Platinum pulling itself along at alarming speed by retracting itself into its own fingers. Cleverly using The World's own strength to make this possible, he was able to land a hard strike on DIO's chin.

Despite breaking his jaw, Jotaro wasn't foolish enough to expect that he'd actually managed to do any real damage. This was clear from the way his enemy shrugged off the attack, fixing his face as he collected himself off the ground. "Perhaps you're more interesting that I though," DIO said.

Jotaro had no way to call for allies despite how hopelessly outmatched he was. He'd made the mistake of assuming the DIO he was hunting would be the same as the DIO he'd killed. For that, he might very well lose his life in this battle.

"You've managed to bridge the gap between our power admirably," DIO congratulated. "Now, I wonder how you'll cope with The World's true power." His Stand summoned, DIO shouted its name. "The World! Time stands still!"

All of Shibuya seemed to freeze. The ever-present sounds of cars, electricity, people, and life itself all ceased. "You can stop time, can you not?" DIO asked. It took him a second to talk towards Jotaro. With a smile, he left loose a punch by The World, having it blocked just as he expected.

The two exchanged blows once more, two, three, and four seconds passing as they attacked. Jotaro had made sure not to activate Star Platinum's ability until a second into DIO's own, granting him what he hoped to be a second beyond DIO's limit of five seconds. Assuming this DIO had only managed to make it to five seconds.

He soon found the answer to that question, five seconds having passed with no signs of The World slowing down. With a single second left for himself, Jotaro blocked a heavy punch before leaping back as far as he could, his body freezing in time after that.

Seven seconds had passed.

"Interesting," DIO said, casually strolling towards Jotaro's position. "It seems you have about five seconds yourself."

Eight seconds had passed.

Jumping up, DIO hung in the air directly in front of Jotaro, his seething hatred showing through even without the ability to move his face.

Nine seconds had passed.

"How long was my time stop when you last fought me? Five seconds, as well? Seven? I'm rather curious as to what you expected in this fight."

Ten seconds had passed.

"I suppose it doesn't matter, though." With a wild grin, he began to shout, "Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!" The World unleashing its full force of punches into Jotaro's body.

Eleven seconds had passed.

Laughing to himself and admiring the indentations he'd made across his enemy's flesh, DIO turned his back, casually floating to the ground.

Twelve seconds had passed.

"I suppose that should be enough," he said. "I assume you realize how foolish it was to try and stop me."

At the thirteen second mark, time finally resumed. Jotaro spat blood as he was sent crashing into the pavement, Star Platinum barely managing to cushion the blow. Regardless, his body was in shambles. No matter how angry he was, there was no hope of him continuing the fight.

"If you're curious," DIO said as he approached the barely conscious Jotaro, "I haven't tested the maximum limit on The World's ability in at least a month. The last time I did, though, I was able to stop time for fifteen seconds."

Jotaro's eyes went wide, coughing up nearly a liter more of blood. DIO found this to be hilarious, letting out a high pitched cackle as he prepared the finishing blow. "Jotaro, remember this as you die: You never stood a chance against me, not even for a moment. You are now dead, but I will continue to live forever."

The World cocked its fist back, ready to crush Jotaro's head on its master's signal. The sound of glass shattering gave him pause, though, DIO turning to look to his left just as a tremendous lightning bolt struck his body.

The vampire screamed in pain, the idea that anyone could sneak up on him let alone manage to land a hit on him enraging him. "There's more where that came from, asshole!" Ryuji shouted, Seiten Taisei twirling its staff behind him.

"You..." Jotaro muttered, seeing hazy figures that looked to be the Phantom Thieves off to the side.

"Whip him, Persona!" Ryuji commanded, DIO taking the full force of the staff directly to the face while momentarily stunned, sending him into a building across the street.

"It's going to be okay," Haru said, holding Jotaro's broken hand as Ann summoned Hecate to heal his wounds.

"I would assume that man was DIO," Yusuke said. "How disgusting. The only thing more corrupt than his soul is his fashion sense."

Feeling himself restored to full health once again, Jotaro sat up. "Thank you," he said to the group. "How'd you know where to look? I never sent a message."

"Don't underestimate the power of technology," Futaba said. "Those news alerts came through after all. A bunch of people started Tweeting about some explosions in this area, so it only made sense you were behind it. And there's an abandoned apartment right here, so it wasn't that hard to figure out."

Jotaro almost smiled at how simple she made it sound. There were more pressing matters at hand now, though. "Stay on guard," he told them as he got to his feet. "That wasn't enough to put him down."

"For real?" Ryuji said. "I put everything I had into that!"

"The bastard's pretty tough. He also happens to be able to stop time for fifteen seconds. That's the real pain in the ass."

"What can we do against a power like that?" Makoto asked.

"No clue. For now, keep your distance and back me up from outside his range. Stay at least ten meters away at any given time, more if possible. Most importantly, don't let up until he's dead."

"Let's go!" Ren shouted, placing his Evoker to his head and pulling the trigger. Yoshitsune appeared behind him ready to fight, already preparing to draw its sword.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves followed suit save for Futaba, all of them holding their breath as they waited for DIO to emerge from the rubble. The moment he did, they all unleashed their most powerful magic attacks at once, the shockwave combining together into a brilliantly colored ball of energy.

Predictably, it did nothing. DIO stopped time as soon as he felt even a tickle of that power brush against the hairs on his arm, needing only three seconds to escape its range and resume the fight. "Futaba, see if you can analyze his abilities," Makoto said, the group spreading out for better positions as Jotaro advanced forward.

"R-right!" she said, retreating back to a safer place away from the action. As the street was overtaken with flashes of elemental energy, Futaba pulled out her Evoker. Her hands trembled as she placed against her chin. "Come on," she said to herself. "Come on!"

Her finger shook against the trigger, trying with all its might to pull it. "How's that analysis comin?" Ryuji asked, barely dodging a piece of pavement lobbed at his head.

"It's coming!" she said, smacking herself in the head several times before trying again. "I have to!" she told herself. "I can...I can..." Despite all her effort, though, she simply couldn't bring herself to do the deed.

Falling to her knees, she dropped the Evoker to the ground. "Why can't I do it?" she asked, tears in her eyes as she cursed her weakness. Just as she looked up, she saw Jotaro take a massive punch to the gut, being sent flying into Yusuke.

She grabbed the Evoker, trying in vain to make herself pull the trigger. If her friends being in danger couldn't make her do it, what could? More importantly, why couldn't she overcome this mental block? She'd conquered her fears once before so there shouldn't be any problem, right?

"Futaba-chan, we need you!" Haru shouted, The World landing a punch on Astarte after DIO figured out which of his enemies was sniping him from the back.

"Futaba, hurry!" Ann called out, her flames easily dispersed by just the air pressure of her enemy's punches.

"What are you doing, Futaba?" Morgana shouted, a brick shattering his fragile leg and forcing him to retreat long enough to heal.

"Quit screwin around, Futaba!" Disobeying orders, Ryuji tried to attack DIO directly again, receiving a broken rib cage and a dozen lacerations in the process as he was sent through a storefront window.

She pressed her headphones closer to her ears, trying desperately to block out the constant shouts for help that she could do nothing to answer. Just as she began to cry, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Expecting the enemy come to finish off a weak opponent, she opened her eyes to find Ren trying to reassure her.

"We need your help," he said, concern evident in his face.

"I just..." She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I can't do it. I don't know why." He knelt down to her level, doing his best to split his attention between Futaba and the war zone unfolding beside them. "Whenever I put it to my head, I..." She held her head in her arms. "I just...think of before. How I wanted to die. And it..."

Ren pulled her into a hug. "It's okay," he said. "You're strong."

"I can't help anyone," she said. "I'm just wasting your time. They need you-"

"They need both of us." He held Futaba's shoulders and helped guide her to her feet. "You beat this once. You can do it again. Your Persona is the proof of that."

In a way, what he said was true. Not even so much "in a way", really, but literally true. She gained Necronomicon when she accepted herself fully and was cured of her distorted thoughts. After growing as a person and regaining her independence, it evolved into Prometheus. It was tangible proof she no longer had to be shackled by the past.

In spite of the fear that still ran throughout her entire body, Futaba picked up her Evoker. "You're right," she said, her hands still shaking. Placing it to her chin, she held her breath, closed her eyes, and finally pulled the trigger.

"I'm running low on energy," Morgana said through labored breathing, the constant need for healing having taken its toll.

"Same here," Ann said, barely having the power to cast fire anymore.

"If we can't find a way to win soon, we're done for," Makoto agreed, her own healing skills almost used up. With the three of them on their lasts legs, there would be no more coming back if the battle dragged on.

A brilliant flash of light overtook the street, the fighting coming to a halt as all eyes turned towards Futaba. Rising overhead was Prometheus, the rainbows emitted from the seams in its body growing even brighter. "Even though I'm afraid, I won't let it hold me back," she said, her Persona appearing to shake.

With a small hiss, the panels that made up Prometheus' body unfolded. The spherical Persona transformed to match Futaba's newfound resolve, taking on the appearance of a technologically-augmented golem, standing tall behind her.

Readouts began to flash within the lenses of her glasses. "No more holding back!" she screamed, the new Prometheus channeling a divine bolt of energy between its hands and casting it straight through DIO.

Futaba looked to Ren with a smile. "Thanks," she said, receiving a nod in response. "Sorry for the wait, everyone. Let's take this guy down." Within seconds, Jotaro and the Phantom Thieves were all healed from their injuries, both their health and magic supplies being replenished.

"Another one," DIO growled, that last attack having actually managed to pierce The World's defenses. "I'll deal with you just like the rest of these useless fools."

"He's weak to fire!" Futaba announced. "Ann, give him all you've got! Every time you've attacked him before, he's had to stop and put it out! Ren, help her out! You, too, Mona!"

"On it!" she said, Hecate setting the street ablaze after the other Thieves got to safety, Ren using Surt to provide cover fire while Mercurius stoked the flames.

"Ryuji, try to shock him again!" she ordered. "Haru, keep sniping him so he can't run!" Through their combined efforts as well as the others taking pot shots, the group was actually managing to do some damage to DIO. Even his time stop wasn't able to help him, as any attempt to activate it was countered by Jotaro's own, during which delivered a swift, ability-canceling punch back into the fire below.

Despite his overwhelming power, DIO was completely unable to deal with attacks of this magnitude and frequency. The Phantom Thieves were more coordinated than ever, their morale restored and their energy regained. Jotaro, too, seemed to be getting a second wind despite the humiliation he suffered just minutes earlier.

Nothing was ever as simple as it seemed, though. For a moment, it almost looked like DIO was about to collapse to the ground in a flaming heap. Before she could give the command for an all-out attack, though, a loud bang rang out through the air, almost entirely muffled by the sounds of chaos all around them.

Futaba suddenly began to feel a sharp pain in her chest, touching her hand to a spot in the center. Looking down, she saw blood, her vision quickly beginning to grow dim. By the time the others realized what happened, she had already collapsed to the ground.

Ren, Ryuji, Haru, and Ann all instinctively left the fight to try and help her, the others managing to fight the urge to join them to attempt to keep DIO from recovering. Ryuji was the first to make it there, turning Futaba over and yelling, "Shit! Shit! Somebody help her!"

Ann was too worn out to have access to her best healing abilities, Ren's current Personas lacking any such powers of their own. The most they could do was hopefully stabilize her, retrieving a bullet from the wound and closing it up while doing their best to repair the damage to her heart.

Before they could even look up, everyone knew who was behind this. "That will be quite enough of that," Akechi said as he looked out from the hole in the apartment, gun still smoking from the shot he'd fired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter in less than 24 hours since I was feeling pretty inspired.
> 
> Did anyone else just lose it when the seconds start counting down during that time stop and it just keeps going? I wrote the fucking thing and was, like, throwing chairs and shit.
> 
> Atlus might have forgotten Persona 2 happened, but I sure didn't. Prometheus is officially a transformer now. Even has an Almighty attack when it's in Attack Position.
> 
> I also realize the irony of calling a chapter "Futaba's Resolve" when she fucking dies at the end. Sort of a grim reminder of Akechi's descent into evil. Also, he absolutely changed clothes back to his outfit from Mementos before he shot her. If he learned nothing else from DIO, it was that appearances matter.
> 
> If anyone's wondering why The World has a weakness to fire attacks, it's a reference to how flames almost killed DIO in Phantom Blood. It's more a weakness for DIO, since that and Joseph's grenade trick later on established fire as one of the few things that can do real damage to vampires in JoJo's world, but since DIO and The World are the same being, it hurts them both.
> 
> I wonder how the gang is going to take Akechi shooting their little sister in the chest like that. Find out in, based on this trend, the next hour.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Share this with a friend if you're enjoying it. Always remember to believe in yourself to conquer a fear of death and then die right after.


	9. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves have to deal with the consequences of opposing DIO.

Despite trying to continue the battle, the remaining Phantom Thieves paused their assault once they heard Ryuji's screams for help. Both DIO and Akechi knew this was an opportunity for escape, the latter jumping from the apartment and landing with the help of Loki.

Only Jotaro was able to try and stop them once DIO activate The World, sprinting after an extremely weakened DIO as he carried Akechi through the frozen time. Unfortunately, the half second he spent looking back towards Futaba and DIO's ability just being that much more powerful than his own now meant he couldn't hope to reach them in time. After time resumed, they'd already turned a corner and escaped into a maze of alleyways.

Though he could try to pursue them, Jotaro realized there was something much more important to do right now. Out of energy to use healing spells, the low-level spell Ann was able to cast left them all in a state of frenzy trying to figure out what they could do to help Futaba.

"Should I cauterize the wound?" Ann suggest, trying to keep herself from crying.

"There's no wound to cauterize anymore!" Morgana told her. "Does no one have any spells left? Any supplies? Just...anything?"

"He just wouldn't stop, so we had to keep fighting," Makoto said, forcing herself to stay composed. "How did this happen? Futaba can't be..."

"I could try to shock her awake!" Ryuji said. "You know, like the paddle things on TV! Would that help?"

Jotaro moved through the group, holding Futaba in his arms. "Don't do anything that could kill her," he said. "We need to find a hospital. Use your phone things to see where the closest one is. Star Platinum can get me there in less than a minute if it's close enough."

They all retrieved their phones and began furiously searching for the nearest hospital. "It's not that far," Yusuke said, handing his to Jotaro so he could read the address.

Jotaro nodded. "Meet me there." Star Platinum's legs materialized over its user's, rocketing him into the air with a jump that sent him several yards away. It was almost like he was flying with each successive jump.

"We can't just stand around," Makoto said. "Let's hurry."

* * *

"Where is she?" Sojiro shouted down the hallway as he came sprinting into the hospital. The other Thieves and Jotaro were standing in the lobby, none of them looking forward to trying to explain what had happened.

He looked to each of them to try and get an answer, but none of them could speak. "You said...you said Futaba was hurt. What happened to her? Where is she? Someone explain what's going on!"

Makoto tried to speak, but Jotaro put a hand on her shoulder. "It's my fault," he said. "We found the man we were searching for. One of his allies was able to attack us and Futaba was caught in the crossfire. I should have been able to stop it, but I was too slow. I'm sorry."

Sojiro was silent for a moment, trying to process what he'd said through the vague way it was spoken. "But...where is she?"

"In surgery," he replied, closing his fists inside his pockets to try and contain his own emotions. "The doctors said there's a good chance she's going to be fine, so you don't have to worry yet. The kids probably saved her life with what they were able to do to help her after it happened."

"We didn't do anything," Ann said dejectedly.

"I'm so sorry," Haru said as she began to cry, Makoto trying to reassure her while keeping herself from doing the same.

It was at that moment the reality of this situation hit Sojiro with full force. He'd always known the Phantom Thieves were doing dangerous work, but until this moment, he never actually thought any of them could die. Maybe that was just the result of one of them faking his own death last time and coming back completely fine, but even the initial shock of that incident hadn't prepared him for the idea his own daughter might be caught up in something that serious.

"How could you let this happen?" he asked Jotaro, his voice low. "You said you'd look after them. You said...I didn't have to worry. You have them all those weird tools, too. It was supposed to protect them." In a move that shocked even himself, he grabbed Jotaro by the collar and screamed, "How? Tell me how?"

"I can't make excuses," he finally said. "I shouldn't have gotten any of you involved."

"You said you had a daughter, too. How could you let this happen to her? I thought I could trust you to keep these kids safe, but you let this happen." His gripped loosened as he fell to his knees in tears. "I shouldn't have let this happen," he said to himself.

Ren and Ryuji helped him to a seat, thankful that no one was trying to come and intervene after they'd made such a scene. Morgana wandered into the hospital to sit next to him, knowing he could at least offer some emotional support even if they couldn't understand each other.

Jotaro took the rest of the kids aside, telling them in no uncertain terms that their partnership was over. "None of you should try to get involved with this anymore," he said. "You shouldn't have from the start."

"Dude, you were gettin stomped before we showed up," Ryuji said. "You need our help."

"I was careless," he said, referring to the entire fight. "I should have known better than to let you come. DIO is too dangerous for me to let anyone else get hurt."

"This isn't just your fight," Ann said. "Akechi is there, too. We can't just let him-"

"This isn't an argument," he said, taking on a rare fatherly tone. "I'm telling you that we're no longer working together. If Sakura-san asks, tell him he won't have to worry about any hospital bills. The Speedwagon Foundation is taking care of it. It's the least I can do for everything I've done to all of you."

Though they all tried to say something, Jotaro was already leaving the building. No matter how dangerous it might be, he resolved to defeat DIO on his own this time. His adventures in Morioh had convinced him that others might be able to help him going forward, but he knew now that he was wrong. This enemy was simply far too powerful to let anyone else risk their lives stopping him. He'd be on his own again.

This left the rest of the group to console Sojiro as they waited to hear from a doctor. Fortunately, it was only around an hour or so before one came out to speak with them. "The good news is the operation went off successfully," the doctor said. "But all we can really say right now is that she's stable. Frankly, we don't really know how this happened."

The doctor rubbed her chin as she explained, "It looked like minor trauma kind of like a knife wound or maybe a bullet, but there was no external injury that would make something like that. It's not something any of us had ever seen before. We're allowed to be optimistic, but we also don't know what's going to happen going forward."

"Can I see her?" Sojiro asked, worry dripping from every pore on his body.

"She's stable, so alright. Fair warning, it looks much worse than it seems with all the bandages and wires, so just remember that she's no longer in the danger zone." Despite these words, Sojiro was still brought to tears upon seeing Futaba hooked up to machines, precautionary as they were. As darkly appropriate as that might have been, it was anything but reassuring.

"It might take her some time to wake up, so try not to work yourselves up too much. If any of you need anything or you're concerned, just flag one of us down." The doctor left the group there, not wishing to linger unnecessarily with other patients waiting for her attention. They likely needed a moment, too.

Slowly, the rest of the group allowed Sojiro some time to himself, figuring it would be best if he had some privacy to work through his emotions. None of them had much to say to each other as they sat in the lobby, trying to process their own feelings on everything that had happened.

More trouble appeared not long after as a pair of police officers entered the hospital. Talking to a receptionist, they were pointed towards the Phantom Thieves. "Excuse me," the older and gruffer of the two men said. "You're with that girl that was just admitted, right? The one who came here from the backstreets?"

"You need somethin?" Ryuji asked dismissively, not in any mood to talk to the cops.

"A few hours ago, there were plenty of reports of what sounded like explosions in that area. Our guys found a ton of damage to an apartment and the street. According to your story, you were there around that time, so we're wondering if you could give us an idea about what happened."

"Look, man, we don't-"

"My clients are in no condition to give statements, officer." Sae marched through the lobby, standing defiantly between the two groups.

"Nijima," the officer said, disdain evident in his voice. "You realize you're impeding an investigation, don't you?"

"You think insuring my clients have proper representation is obstructing justice?" she scoffed. "You have no reason to suspect these children have any connection to your investigation as anything besides victims. If you want to question them, I suggest you talk to someone who can grant you that authority. For now, make yourselves useful and try to find some actual evidence before you start demanding answers from teenagers in a hospital."

Reluctantly, the two officers were forced to leave them alone, calling into the station to try and find out what anyone on the scene may have found since they last spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," Sae said. "Makoto texted me and said something happened to Futaba and you might need help. Can you tell me why the police were trying to question all of you?"

"Sis," Makoto said, finally letting her tears fall freely. "We really screwed up."

"We've been operating as the Phantom Thieves again," Yusuke admitted. "A dangerous man arrived in town, so we felt compelled to stop him."

"We finally found him, too," Ann said. "But during the fight...we almost had him, and then Akechi shot Futaba. They both got away when we were distracted."

"Wait, Akechi? As in, Goro Akechi? He's alive?"

"He is," Ren said. "He's working with that man."

"Why didn't any of you tell me this before? You know you can count on me to help however I can."

"We didn't want to worry you," Makoto said, Haru stroking her hair as she tried to get her tears under control. "We didn't know it would get this dangerous."

She sighed, trying to think of what they could do now, both for an enemy so strong as to recruit Akechi and for the police's coming questions. "Well, first thing's first, we should get your stories straight. After that, we should tell the police about this man. Discretely, of course."

"No one would believe us," Ryuji rightly stated. "Besides, what are the police going to do against a vampire that stops time?"

"That is...not something I have a response to. I see your point, though." Sae shook her head, unable to find any satisfactory answer to what they could do now. "For now, you've all earned some rest. I can take you home."

"We're supposed to just run home with our tails between our legs?" Ryuji said, punching his leg. "Damn it, we were so close!"

"It pains me to say it, but there's nothing else we can do at this time," Yusuke told him. "We're in no condition for another fight after losing this much."

"Still," Ann said, "it feels awful just leaving Futaba and Boss here all alone."

"Where is he?" Sae asked. "I'd like to talk to him for a minute." They directed her down the hallway to where Sojiro still stood, forehead pressed against the window to Futaba's room. It took him a moment to realize she was there, at which point she greeted him with a, "Hello, Sakura-san."

"Oh, hey. Sorry, the shop's closed, so you'll have to get your coffee somewhere else for right now."

She gave a laugh at his joke, empathizing with his desire to try and keep others from feeling the same pain as he did during this horrible time. "I'm sorry about what happened. Everyone just told me."

"It's all my fault," he said.

"You know that isn't true. It's the fault of the person who attacked her and the rest."

"I knew they were the Phantom Thieves again. I could have stopped this from ever happening after how dangerous things were last time."

"None of those kids are very good at listening to adults. I doubt Futaba would have done what you said even if you did try to stop them."

"I should have tried, though." He held his head in his hands, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I wanted to blame other people, but it was my responsibility as her father. I should have kept her safe somehow."

"We all have regrets," Sae said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Making yourself feel bad won't help her, though. She needs you to be strong right now. They all do."

Sojiro nodded. "You're probably right about that."

"I'm going to take everyone home soon. Do you want me to bring you anything from your house? Clothes? Food?"

"I'll be alright. I've always wanted to try that hospital food everyone says is so good."

She smiled, nodding. "Don't be afraid to call if there's anything I can do." As she started to walk off, she turned back. "I know you might feel helpless right now, but there's something you should remember. Right now, Futaba and the others are all fighting as hard as they can, and even if it might not seem like you can do anything...what's the incentive of coming home safe if there's no one waiting for them?"

He nodded. "That's pretty good. Where'd you hear that?"

"I can't remember," she admitted. "It might have even been my father, but knowing him, he probably heard it from an old procedural." She left the hospital after that with the rest of the Phantom Thieves behind her, making a trip to each of their homes to save them a long and uncomfortable train ride.

* * *

Three days passed. Ren had the house to himself with only Morgana for company, though neither of them was feeling very talkative. Jotaro's things had vanished from Leblanc's attic at some point since they returned home that night, no sign of where he could have gone. Other than the occasional message to see how the others were doing, the group chat was silent, as well.

Feeling restless, Ren put on his shoes to head out. "Are you heading to the hospital?" Morgana asked. He shook his head. "Oh. Okay. Want me to come with you?" He shook his head again. "Alright, I guess. Don't get into any trouble."

He went to the station, riding the train into Shibuya and making his towards Iwai's shop. It wasn't guns he was after today, though. Turning the corner into the alley, he saw the blue spectral gate just as it always was, Lavenza standing beside it.

She was seemingly aware of what had happened, a look of sadness having overtaken her normally cheerful demeanor. "Would you like to come for a visit?" she asked as Ren approached. He nodded, the door opening for both of them.

"Welcome back, Trickster," Igor greeted. "May we both offer our sincerest condolences for what has happened to your ally." Lavenza nodded solemnly. "How may we be of assistance to you?"

Ren looked side to side. "Where's Philemon?" he asked.

"Our master has left," Igor replied. "He stated that he is currently looking for a means of helping you further. Unfortunately, I can't tell you when he may return."

Ren placed a finger to his chin, thinking over his next move. "Okay," he said. "Instead, I need to perform a fusion."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically just tossing these up whenever they're done now. Everything hurts.
> 
> Did you catch that title? It, like, works on so many levels, man. It's for the fallout of what happened in the fight, but also the fallout between Jotaro and the rest gang. Pretty highbrow stuff, I know. Pass the blunt, Elon.
> 
> The reports of Futaba's death may have been greatly exaggerated in the last notes, but she's still not in a very good way right now. Neither is Sojiro. Almost took a swing at Jotaro.
> 
> You can really get a sense of Sae's new rebellious spirit since she left the prosecutor's office. Telling off cops and helping the Phantom Thieves make a convincing story if they get questioned, plus doling out some cool words of wisdom. I hope I can work her in again before the end.
> 
> Next chapter is...whenever. Wonder what Joker's going to fuse. Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you like it. Always remember to get some counseling for traumatic events like this.


	10. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves try to figure out a plan of attack with both Futaba and Jotaro out of the picture.

Not wanting to waste another day moping about and doing nothing, the Phantom Thieves decided to visit Futaba and Sojiro in the hospital. They'd been trying to give him his space, but after no word from him for the entire four days since he'd resolved to stay there, everyone was understandably worried.

Meeting up outside the building, they went inside and asked around until someone was willing to give them the right room number. Just as they approached, though, they could hear the sound of someone talking through the door. Faintly, but it was audible enough to be understandable.

"...and I still don't understand why they don't form the giant robot at the start of every fight," Sojiro said, evidently speaking on a show Futaba had told him to watch at some point. "Maybe you can tell me when you wake up. You probably would have if I didn't put off watching it for so long."

He laughed sadly to himself, saying, "You know, this kind of reminds me what I used to do. I mean, when I first adopted you. It probably sounds a little creepy, but I got myself a journal and...I'd write in it every night. And I'd pretend I was, I guess, sending letters to your mother."

He sighed. "I don't know why I did that. Maybe sometimes I just needed someone to talk to, but there wasn't anyone like that around. I remember I used to get almost kind of excited when something good would happen, like how I couldn't wait to tell Wakaba about the first time you spoke to me. Pretty pathetic, right? An old man with some kind of imaginary pen pal."

Sojiro shifted in his seat beside her bed, scratching the back of his neck. "You probably can't hear me right now, so I don't know why I keep trying to talk to you. If you can, though...I hope you wake up soon. Your friends would be pretty upset if you kept them waiting for the rest of the summer, and I'm sure there's a lot of shows you're missing out on while you're stuck here."

His voice lowered as did his head. Quietly, he said, "I love you, Futaba. Let's go home soon, okay?" Realizing now wasn't a good time to come barging in, the group slowly left the hallway, barely holding back tears.

"Goddamn it!" Ryuji said as he punched the wall of the building outside. He'd foolishly injured himself by doing that, but at this point he was just glad to distract himself from the emotional turmoil he was feeling. "We can't just stand around here like this! We've gotta do somethin!"

"I know, but what can we do?" Ann said. "Without Kujo-san, we don't have any idea where DIO and Akechi might have gone."

"And without Futaba, we've lost our greatest source of information," Yusuke added. "We'd simply be running around blind."

"Come on, guys!" Ryuji shouted in desperation. "There's gotta be somethin! Anything!" He looked to each of them, his confidence withering as he moved from one solemn expression to the next. Even Ren seemed to have given up hope. "Really? We just have to give up?"

"I'm sorry, guys," Morgana said. "If I'd remembered to grab any of the stuff I was hiding, this never would have happened."

"Don't blame yourself, man," Ryuji said. "We all screwed up. Futaba's never been on the front lines before, but we were all too busy tryin to stop DIO to even think about that."

"If I'd just conserved my energy, I'd have been able to heal her," Makoto said.

Ren shook his head. "Blaming ourselves won't help anything." They all knew it to be true, but that didn't help much of anything.

What did, surprisingly enough, came from Ryuji. "Yeah, you're right. If we're gonna be blamin anyone for this, it's that bastard Akechi." He clenched his fist. "He's the one who shot her."

"That's true," Yusuke said with disdain.

"I hope our next encounter is in Mementos," Haru said. "Then we can show him how Futaba felt firsthand."

"No more second chances," Ann agreed.

"When we see him, we're going to fuck him up," Ryuji said. Though they were still sad, it was quickly being pushed out in favor of anger almost as intense as when they were facing off with Shido.

Their conversation was quickly placed on hold, though, as their phones began to buzz. "It's...from Futaba!" Ann shouted.

"For real?" Ryuji said, doing a double take at the message they'd gotten in the group chat.

In typical Futaba fashion, all it said was, "I lived bitch." The group sprinted into the hospital, doing their best not to trample on their way to the room. Bursting through the door, Futaba smiled cheekily and gave them a weak wave.

"Holy shit!" Ryuji said. "You're actually okay!"

"Duh," she said, still obviously a bit disoriented and high on painkillers. "We've got a game to finish. I can't expect you to do it by yourself."

"More importantly, how did you all make it here so fast?" Sojiro asked.

"We actually came here earlier, but we didn't want to disturb you," Ann explained.

"Oh, and sorry for eavesdropping," Haru said through her tears, overjoyed to have all of them together again.

"Jeez, did you all hear that sappy stuff I was saying to myself?"

"Sappy stuff?" Futaba asked, perking up a bit. "What'd he say? Somebody tell me. I bet it was good."

"It was sweet," Makoto said. "He was talking about how much he loved his precious daughter."

"What, that's it?" She rolled her eyes. "I already know all that stuff. At least make it some juicy gossip, like how you and my mom secretly had something after all and I was really your biological kid all along."

"Oh, come on! You know that's not true! Your mom always turned me down, even when I used my best lines on her. I never learned who your real father was."

"I'm looking at him right now!" she said indignantly. "Dumb Sojiro! You're way more of a dad than just some guy who gave me some DNA."

"It'd kind of be like he gave your mom some DNA, but-" Ryuji's joke was cut off by a chop to the back of the neck from Makoto.

"Do you know when she can go home?" Ann asked.

"We're waiting for the doctors to come examine her," Sojiro explained. "If it looks good, maybe tomorrow? I'm just guessing though."

Futaba sighed and kicked her feet. "Tomorrow? Come on! I've got stuff to do! Was anyone even recording stuff while I was out? Wait, what day is it? Did that one game release yet?"

"Relax, I'll go see what the hold up is about." Sojiro left the room, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hey, wait," Futaba said as she looked around the room. "Where's Jotaro? Did he not come?"

The mood quickly shifted once again, returning to the uncomfortable dread everyone felt earlier. "He said he's going to find DIO by himself," Makoto told her.

Haru continued. "He blamed himself for what happened to you, so he thinks it's not safe for us to help anymore."

"That's bullshit!" she said. "He wasn't the one who shot me!" Futaba paused for a second. "He wasn't, right?"

"It was Akechi," Yusuke confirmed.

"Yeah, see? He didn't do anything!"

"That's not how he thinks of it," Ann said.

Futaba nearly slapped herself. "Crap, I forgot! Where's my stuff? Wait, they didn't find my Evoker, right?"

"I hid it before they took you for surgery," Morgana said. "What's the problem?"

"Someone give me theirs, then. I just remembered something." They looked to one another, Ren taking his from the inside of his jacket and handing it to Futaba. Her hand shook for only a moment as she pressed it to her chin, pulling the trigger and summoning Prometheus back in its sphere form.

"I was right!" she shouted.

"About what?" Haru asked.

"About DIO! I knew there was something weird about him! He's not human!"

"Uh, duh. He's a vampire."

"No, not like that!" She glared at Ryuji, then furrowed her brow in confusion. "I mean, I don't think like that...I've never really analyzed one before, so I guess...Forget about that! What I mean is, he doesn't read like you'd expect him to when I was studying him."

Even in her weakened state, her brain still moved a mile a minute as she read over her data. "It's like...he's some kind of Cognition."

"Wait, for real?" Ryuji said.

"How is that possible?" Yusuke questioned.

"Is it even possible for one of those to exist outside of a Palace?" Makoto asked.

Morgana hopped onto the bed, saying, "I've never heard of anything like that, but I guess it's not entirely out of the question. I'm probably not that different from a Cognition myself and I can walk around out here without a problem."

"But if he's a Cognition," Ren added, "who does he belong to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet no one was expecting to get Ora Ora'd in the heart at the start of this chapter. Kind of puts his telling Ren to keep a diary over his probation into a new light.
> 
> Ryuji finally gets to say fuck. It's a momentous day for everyone involved. Birds are chirping. Flowers are blooming. Luigi is there. All is right with the world.
> 
> I'd originally intended for Futaba to be out for at least another chapter or two, but I can't keep my gremlin out of action for that long. Besides, she's got to drop that revelation about DIO.
> 
> We're rapidly approaching the end now. Where's Jotaro, though? We'll probably find out next chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you're enjoying. Always remember to explain those glaring logistical flaws in Tokusatsu shows where they form the robot.


	11. Platinum Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves resolve to continue fighting DIO as Jotaro tries to end things once and for all.

"By himself?" Ann asked in shock.

"For real? Why'd you guys let him do that?" Ryuji said angrily.

"We know it's dangerous," an incredibly stressed Speedwagon Foundation member said. "You know how Kujo-san is, though. He just...does what he wants."

"Couldn't you have told us, at least?" Makoto scolded.

With a sigh, the man shook his head. "He specifically said we weren't supposed to. And, well, he kind of scares us."

"How did he even get to Mementos, though?" Futaba asked them, taking the opportunity to poke around at some of their (by her standards) laughably outdated computers.

"I'm not entirely sure. He said he was going to buy a cellphone like people have here, and around a day after that little icon appeared. We tried to study it, but we didn't really know how."

"Typical," she said.

"Has he been back since then?" Haru asked, concern evident in her voice.

"If he has, he didn't come back here. It's been two days since he left."

"Then we gotta go find him!" Ryuji shouted. "You can't just hang out in Mementos forever like that! You can't, right?"

"Probably not," Morgana agreed. "Even if the Shadows aren't a problem, imagine the toll on his mind. Especially if he's alone."

"Then we need to go help him!" Ann said.

"It's not even the Shadows that are the greatest threat," Yusuke reminded them. "He obviously went there searching for DIO. And if he found him..."

"Let's not just rush in without thinking this time, though." The group nodded, agreeing with Makoto's caution. "Morgana, you mentioned you kept some of our old supplies, right?"

"Yeah, in Leblanc. I figured when we came back here, it might be helpful if the Phantom Thieves ever had to reform."

"Good thinking," Ann said, giving him a pat on the head.

"We can't waste any time," Ren said, giving the signal to head for the cafe.

Leblanc had just reopened after a working week of being closed. While this would normally be bad news for anyone, Sojiro was far too happy to be worried. Futaba had made it through her injuries and was even cleared to go home in record time thanks to an "almost supernatural" recovery from surgery. The extra business he'd gotten in the last few months thanks to a rumor that his shop used to be used by the Phantom Thieves didn't hurt his savings, either.

Speak of the devil, there went the kids now. "You kids in a hurry?" he asked. "It's that new movie, right? I heard it's getting good reviews."

"Not today," Makoto said. "We need to find some supplies in the attic."

This left him confused. "We might know where DIO went," Ann added.

"Now we have the chance to finish this once and for all," Yusuke said, nodding as Morgana and Ren came down the stairs with a small backpack full of items.

"Wait, huh?" Sojiro shook his head. "Are you...are you serious? What are you saying?" He walked out from behind the counter and placed himself in front of the door. "Absolutely not!"

"But Sojiro-"

"No! Futaba, you just came back from the hospital! How are you already putting yourself in danger again?"

"But I'm fine! The doctor said so! You were there!"

"No!" he said. "Why can't you all just...just let this go? Just let other people handle this!"

"Like who?" Ryuji asked. "Boss, you're not makin any sense!"

"Like Jotaro! If he can't protect you kids, the least he can do is solve this mess by himself."

"That wasn't his fault!" Futaba yelled. "We knew the risks when we started! Why can't you trust us? We've already saved the world once!"

"Because I can't lose you, too!" As the room went silent, Sojiro realize how unreasonable it probably sounded for a man with no special abilities to be lecturing a group of people with superpowers. "I can't. None of you. You keep putting yourselves in danger, and even though it's worked out before...it just takes one mistake."

"He's right," Ann said. "We have to do what we have to do, but I never realized how much you must be worrying about us."

"It's true," Haru agreed.

"Sorry, Boss," Makoto said.

"No, you guys are right." He sighed. "Without you, the world would have been taken over by that god. It's just...no matter how old you kids get, you're always going to be kids to me."

Futaba ran up and hugged him as tight as she could. "We'll be safe, okay? So you don't have to worry about us. We're going to be okay."

"You'd better," he said, hugging her back. "That goes for all of you. Because let me tell you, I will not be the one to tell people you died. Just explaining how is going to be a nightmare."

"We'll keep each other safe," Haru told him.

"Then again, my art likely would increase in value if I met an unfortunate end," Yusuke said jokingly.

"Hold on," Sojiro said, walking back to his brewing coffee and taking a thermos from under the counter. He filled it full of liquid and screwed on the lid, tossing it to Ren. "It's not much, but the least I can do is make sure you don't have to be thirsty."

Catching it deftly, he nodded. "We'll make it back safe," he said confidently.

"And when we do, you're taking us out for sushi!" Futaba said.

"I can't afford that right now!"

"Fine, but you'd better have some curry for us. Using a Persona makes you really hungry."

"That's more doable," he said with a laugh. "Now get out of here before I change my mind. I'm already regretting this."

Star Platinum took out another Shadow in a single punch, not even allowing it the chance to assume its true form. Chugging down the rest of a water bottle, Jotaro tossed it aside onto the tunnel floor. He hadn't left Mementos since he first arrived, feeling DIO's presence the moment he stepped inside due to the link between himself and his great grandfather's stolen body.

He'd at least had the foresight to pack plenty of food and water as well as other supplies, including some disgusting pouches full of what looked like rancid gravy. The smell alone was enough to drive a man to drink, let alone the taste, but the kids swore up and down it helped restore their strength. Despite initial apprehension, he quickly learned that wasn't just a joke they were playing on him.

The Shadows themselves were hardly even worth bothering with. The few that didn't run only had any confidence to attack when they were in groups, all of which he quickly annihilated. One or two seemed to be immune to punches directly, but that was more of an annoyance than anything else which he quickly remedied by simply throwing them as hard as he could into a wall. Apparently, that counted as something besides a striking attack.

After another few minutes of walking and trying to decide whether he'd actually been to a particular place before, he happened upon what he thought was called a "distortion" in the Metaverse. He'd actually entered two others earlier on, beating specific people's Shadows into submission until they decided to not be assholes anymore. For whatever reason, he'd gotten a child's flashlight and a matchbook from some bar out of them once they disappeared.

Entering this one, he found something wholly different. It looked like some kind of temple, shimmering brightly among the otherwise gloomy surroundings. How it got here was anyone's guess, but the owner seemed obvious.

Inside, DIO could already feel Jotaro's arrival, viewing it on his crystal ball through Hermit Purple. "He's found us," Akechi said, cursing himself for what he assumed to be his own error.

"That's perfectly fine," DIO said. "I've been feeling a bit restless."

"Master, you're not fully healed yet. Wouldn't it be better to retreat and find somewhere else to hide for now?"

DIO merely chuckled, holding Akechi's chin between his fingers and saying, "It will be fine. We're far stronger than Jotaro even now. If he wishes to come see us, I see no reason not to oblige."

Akechi nodded, though he was still afraid this might backfire. He knew just how much hubris could work to undo even the most solid plans. Still, he trusted his master's judgment fully and went to fetch their enemy.

Despite initial distrust and a refusal to listen, Akechi was able to stay far enough out of Jotaro's range to lead him to DIO anyway. Fleeing upstairs, he eventually able to make it to what could only be described as a throne room, his master sat atop a glistening white marble seat in the center.

"Jotaro," he greet with a smirk, burns still visible on his skin. "You found us quite quickly. I'm a bit surprised your allies haven't come to join you this time, though. Was the death of one of their own too much to bear?"

"Forget about them," he said. "Your fight's with me. Always has been."

DIO cackled at this. "Precisely. As such, I'll give you the courtesy of a one-on-one battle. Akechi-kun will merely watch as I tear your body to pieces and drink your blood."

"You sure about that?" he said. "You look pretty beat up. I'd feel kind of bad kicking your ass if it's not a fair fight. Like I'm beating up some senile old man who can barely walk."

"I'm quite sure," he said, standing from his chair and, after allowing his eagerness to show through in a demented grin, launched himself forward with his characteristic, "Wry!"

"Suit yourself," Jotaro said coolly, reaching into his bag to produce a UV lamp, shining it directly in DIO's face. The vampire screeched, falling to the ground in a heap and trying desperately to escape the light. "What's wrong, DIO? I thought you were going to tear me to pieces and drink my blood."

No matter how much he tried to jump into the shadows, the beam of light still chased him down thanks to Star Platinum's excellent reflexes. "If you're wondering, I had the Speedwagon Foundation give me a couple secret weapons before I came here. Apparently, this is what the old man used back when he was dealing with vampires. I didn't think it would work, but with the way you're screaming, it's not so bad."

The only thing keeping DIO alive at this point was The World. Though the light still harmed his Stand due to its master's nature as a vampire, it was far more resilient in the face of solar energy, being able to place itself in front of the beam for limited amounts of time as he hid behind a pillar.

"My master wanted a fair fight!" Akechi shouted, summoning Loki to his side. "You're not going to-"

As he said this, Jotaro stopped time. Five seconds would be more than enough to deal with DIO's helper. Though he did feel some regret in killing someone so young, he couldn't really bring himself to be all that guilty after his attempted murder of Futaba.

Jotaro walked forward calmly, Star Platinum keeping the light trained on the pillar to ensure the beam was wide enough to catch DIO no matter which side or direction he tried to escape from. With its free hand, it wound back a punch directed at Akechi's chest. If he did it right, he'd shatter his rib cage and stop his heart in a way that killed him instantly, sparing him any pain once time resumed.

DIO wouldn't allow this, though. Charging through the pillar itself, he used a chunk of it as cover to intercept the punch, having no choice but to take the blow himself.

In shock, Jotaro allowed time to move again, Akechi knocked backwards as DIO forced his way between the two. Star Platinum's fist was lodged squarely in The World and DIO's chests, gripping the vampire's heart like a baseball.

"Master..." Akechi said, too stunned to even think. "N-no… No!"

Looking over his shoulder, DIO smiled with what could only be described as the closest thing to sincerity he'd ever expressed. "Sorry, Akechi-kun. You'll have to continue the rest...on your own."

Jotaro couldn't believe DIO would simply sacrifice himself for the well being of another. That was impossible no matter what universe they were in. Just then, something caught his eye on The World's body. It was a single word: Angel.

He moved to the opposite shoulder, reading "Rhinoceros Beetle". Across its chest was "Via Dolorosa". He realized far too late what this meant. In the exact moment he heard Akechi cry out in anguish and saw DIO's smile change to one of triumph, he knew exactly what was about to happen.

DIO had attained Heaven.

"I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath,

 

Thy bond shall become the chains of captivity

and fortify the yoke of thy heart,

 

Thou hast awakened the ultimate secret

of the World, granting thee infinite power..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really heating up. Literally. It's really hot in this room while I'm writing this, but I don't want to turn off the heater since it's the dead of winter and it would get freezing.
> 
> Sojiro's kind of being like Chi Chi here; you only realize how reasonable they actually are once you're an adult and/or have kids of your own. No, of course he's not going to be happy his children keeping throwing themselves at evil monsters trying to destroy the world, but he's got to relent eventually.
> 
> Jotaro came prepared this time. I always kind of wondered why Joseph didn't mention, "Oh, by the way, the Speedwagon Foundation has all these handy, portable UV lamps we could use on DIO. Might want to stop by the Cairo branch and go grab a couple."
> 
> Too bad he picked one up at the last possible second. DIO's surpassed the sun now and gone all Eyes of Heaven on us. Now we know why he was so interested in Akechi.
> 
> Things are looking shady for the Aqua Teens. Wonder how they're going to make it out of this one.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you're enjoying. Always remember to take out the minions first before they can max their Confidant ranking.


	12. OVER HEAVEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DIO has attained Heaven.

"I can feel something weird up ahead," Morgana said as the Phantom Thieves drove through Mementos. "It's like a distortion."

"I think Jotaro's inside!" Futaba added. "That must mean..."

"We need to prepare," Makoto said. "Let's split into two teams. If we can separate DIO and Akechi, we'll have a better chance of taking them out if they can't work together."

"You sure?" Ryuji asked. "It took all of us to beat either one of em last time."

"No, she's right," Ann said. "We hurt DIO badly last time, so he's probably not at full strength. We're all a lot stronger now, too, so it shouldn't be impossible for us to fight Akechi."

"I have to agree," Yusuke said. "It's better than simply attacking them both without a plan. Separating them seems like the best idea for now."

Ann nodded. "I'll go to DIO. Mona, you're coming, right?"

"Yeah. My wind should be able to combine with your fire."

"I'll come, too," Makoto said. "If you can burn him, my nuclear spells should be able to hurt him even more. With how strong he is, we'll need every advantage we can get to put him down."

"I'll follow you guys, but I'm going to hang back for right now. I want to study him some more and see if there's anything we can use against him.

"Guess that leaves the rest of us to go get that bastard Akechi," Ryuji said. He leaned over to Joker, whispering, "Hey, dude, you gonna be okay? There ain't no going back once we're alone with him."

Ren nodded. "Be careful out there, everyone. This is our last shot."

Soon enough, they arrived at the strange Palace-like structure within the distortion. "What is that place?" Ann asked, hoping someone had an idea as to how it got there.

"I think..." Morgana began, "...I think it might be a Palace...of a Cognition."

"Is that possible?" Haru asked.

"I really don't know, sorry. But that's the only explanation I can think of. DIO's heart is so distorted that, even as just a Cognition, he's warped the Metaverse around him."

"And if there's a Palace, that means Shadows," Futaba said, picking up several hostiles inside. "We'll have to be careful when we head inside.

"Is everyone ready?" Morgana asked, receiving a nod from each of the Phantom Thieves individually. "Okay, then. Our mission today: Stop DIO and Akechi."

As they prepared to head inside, Makoto stopped Haru, removing her mask temporarily. "Hey, since we're on different teams, I won't know what's going on with you. So just...be safe, okay?"

"I promise," Haru said as she did the same. "Take care of yourself, too. I want to be able to kiss you when this is over."

"Then let's call this insurance." They two leaned in for a short kiss, holding each other close for what very well could be the last time.

Seeing this, Ryuji sighed and shook his head, tapping Ren on the shoulder. "Yo, dude, you wanna do that? Like, there's at least a 50/50 chance we're gonna end up dead, so..."

Ren smiled, saying, "Save it for when we win."

"W-wait, seriously? For real? I was just, like, j-joking, and stuff, but, like, if you're serious and junk, I mean..."

"Guys, come on!" Morgana shouted. "We're wasting time. Skull can flirt with people out of his league later!"

"Screw you!" he said. "I'm in a league of my own!"

"Oh, is that why you've stayed single for so long?" Haru asked cheerfully, unaware she'd just murdered Ryuji before DIO or Akechi had the chance.

Having done their best to make peace with their mortality, the group headed in. Not wanting to waste precious time, they stuck to the shadows and quickly made their way past the creatures that had taken up residence inside the structure. Their appearance was like a cross between priests and English nobility, all sporting dangerous-looking bladed weapons.

Throughout the lavish walls of the structure, the Thieves began to get the sense this place was somewhat unfinished, or perhaps could never really be finished given DIO's nature as a cognitive being. Despite how dangerous and distorted he was, there was a distinct lack of traps or guards or any of the other precautions they'd expected heading in. The road to the throne room was fairly straightforward, to say the least.

Inside, they saw Jotaro, battered and bloody and barely able to stand. Three shots rang out, Star Platinum deflecting two but unable to reach the third before it struck the Stand's user in the arm. He grunted at the impact but refused to be toppled.

"I'm beginning to lose interest," DIO could be heard saying. "I would have thought you'd be a more entertaining plaything, but with all this power...I've simply grown tired of your presence."

"Then shut the hell up and just kill me already," Jotaro said.

DIO laughed. "Defiant to the end. You've truly earned your place as JoJo's successor. Very well, I'll grant your wish." Thunder cracked, a lightning bolt shooting straight for Jotaro. It failed to connect, though, a Persona having leaped in the way at the last moment.

"Dude, you gotta stop doing this to yourself!" Ryuji said, Seiten Taisei bearing the brunt of the electrical attack. "Where the hell did he get this lightning? I almost feel it!"

Before he could even react, Jotaro felt himself being healed by Morgana. "You should have told us you were going in here!" he said.

"I said we were through," Jotaro argued, standing back to full height.

"And look where that's got you!" Ann shouted. "You can't do this alone and neither can we."

With a sigh, he adjusted his hat. "Good grief. I guess I can't argue with that. Sorry."

"You better be!" Futaba shouted from inside Prometheus. "And what happened to DIO while we were gone? He's like a totally different person!"

"The short version is he's been using Akechi to increase his own power. I don't know all the details, but he's stronger than I've ever seen him now." Pausing for a moment, he added, "I'm glad you're alright."

"I thank you," DIO said, standing tall in full view of the group. His appearance had changed radically since attaining Heaven, his skin bleached white and hair grown out to several times its original length. Even his clothes transformed into something more akin to white robes, his own named seemingly tattooed across the sides of his face. "You've saved me the trouble of finding you all. Not that it would be much trouble."

"He doesn't look so tough," Ryuji said. "Hey, asshole! We're the Phantom Thieves! We were kickin your ass last time and we're about to do it again! Last year, we killed an effin god! What've you got?"

DIO seemed to find this amusing, chuckling at the remarks of what looked to him to be the team's trained monkey. "That's quite impressive. Unfortunately for you, I am no god. I...am DIO."

"Master, there's no need to trouble yourself with these people." Akechi stepped forward at DIO's side. "Please, allow me to dispose of them for you."

"There's no need to prove your loyalty, Akechi-kun," he told him. "I already trust you wholeheartedly."

"With all due respect, master, this is for my own sake. I'm ashamed to say it, but I still hold a certain...compassion for the Phantom Thieves despite the trouble they've caused you. To finally severe those bonds, I want to kill them with my own hands."

"The hell's talkin about compassion?" Ryuji said. "You shot Futaba!"

"That was merely-" Akechi couldn't finish his sentence as a bullet fired from Ren's gun came barreling towards him. DIO caught it a moment before it would have struck him between the eyes, presenting it to him. "Joker," he growled. "Master, please excuse me."

"He's taken the bait," Yusuke said.

"Come catch us, shithead!" Ryuji said, slapping his ass as he and the other three in the party made their escape.

"You juvenile, classless trash!" Despite how obvious the setup was, DIO's overconfidence had begun to rub off on Akechi, watching him attain Heaven, he was convinced there was no possible way things could go wrong. Why not indulge in his more vindictive urges for a change?

He was far too busy chasing after Ren to notice that only half of the Phantom Thieves had actually left the room. "After them!" he shouted to a group of Shadows they passed on the way, the creatures hovering behind Akechi as he was led toward the entrance of the pseudo-Palace.

"That should be far enough," Futaba said to the group. On queue, Ren whipped out his phone, pressing the Meta-Nav app and returning all four of them as well as Akechi to the real world.

Akechi stumbled as he found himself transported back to the streets of Shibuya. "What did...you tricked me!"

"Oh, shit!" Ryuji said, realizing they'd ended up in the middle of the Scramble Crossing. Immediately, numerous pedestrians began to take notice of the five teenagers who seemed to appear from nothing, in particular the one who looked to be lost on his way to a very odd cosplay convention/BDSM dungeon.

"Did you think I wouldn't risk hurting these people if we were out in the real world?" Akechi said, laughing haughtily. "I don't care about any of them! The only one who matters is my master!" Just as he said this, they all felt uncomfortable ripples spread throughout the world, watching as the real and cognitive worlds began to blur. "Whenever I'm in need, he always provides."

Bubbling up from the ground, three Shadows came to join Akechi, also managing to cause a panic among the civilians.

"You're really gonna endanger everyone here just to get at us?" Ryuji asked. "Dude, how do you even think you're the good guy?"

"As if I could ever care about what you had to say," he spat back, the Shadows taking their true forms. The forms in question were far from what any of them expected, as their bodies molded into exact replicas of DIO's former minions Vanilla Ice, N'Doul, and Enya, shortly after seeming to merge with their Stands into horrid abominations.

"There's no use talking," Yusuke said, drawing his Evoker.

"No more second chances," Haru agreed, echoing Ryuji's earlier words.

Ren nodded slowly, placing his tool to his head. "Let's end this...Persona!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a day since I'm shotgunning caffeine and pumping Rivers in the Desert straight into my brain. We're officially at the climax now, people.
> 
> DIO, Gone to Heaven (I like that one better since it sounds cooler) was the best part of that very unfinished game. I started writing this whole story just to get to this moment. You might have picked up on that, too, with the Confidant speech in the first chapter. It makes sense as an alternative means of attaining Heaven since, like any other Confidant, DIO got his Ultimate Stand once it was max rank. Even the way he did - jumping in front of Star Platinum's otherwise fatal attack - represents the perk you gain at that level.
> 
> I'll stop jerking myself off at how clever I am and talk about the actual chapter. The kids are in for one hell of a fight now that DIO's got his old buddies to back up Akechi. Especially Vanilla Ice/Cream. Won't be any better for the ones facing off with DIO, either, especially since he's lost all his weaknesses and is immune to all attacks. He's like an even worse version of a Treasure Demon, but just as sexy.
> 
> We'll see how things pan out next chapter. Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you're enjoying or just thought my, "I...am DIO" line was raw as fuck. Always remember to group up.


	13. Akechi's Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi faces off against the Phantom Thieves to finally settle the score.

"Lucifer!" Ren shouted, the demonic angel appearing to use its ultimate attack, blasting across the road between the two groups to allow the Phantom Thieves a chance to scatter. With the worlds beginning to converge once more, they were more easily able to tap into the supernatural agility granted to them by their Personas.

Deftly controlling the flow of the fight from the outset, Haru purposefully paired herself against the cloud-like Enya, figuring she was the only one among them with the means to do any major damage. "Astarte!" she declared, her Persona appearing as she shot her Evoker to launch a massive psychic attack.

Her target screamed in pain, launching cutting blades of fog in all directions. They were easy enough to dodge, especially with precision shooting from Astarte breaking their form. To follow up, Haru grabbed a Molotov cocktail prepared in advanced and tossed it, unlit at the ground in front of Enya.

The purpose of this became clear as soon as she fired a grenade, igniting her gaseous enemy with the explosion after her form had had a chance to mingle with the alcohol fumes. "Thank you for screaming so much!" she said. "It helps motivate me when my enemies are in pain!"

"You little shit!" Enya wailed, twisting in the air to try and put herself out. "Lord DIO will crush all of you like bugs! You cocky brats can't even hope to stand against him! He's defied death itself to bring me here and kill-" Haru cut her off with another psychic attack, scrambling her brain once more.

"Kamu Susano-o!" Yusuke said from the other side of the battlefield, doing his best not to allow the watery tendrils of N'Doul to snag him. "Your form is quite beautiful," he complimented, his Persona readying a freezing blast between its hands. "Perhaps you'll allow me the opportunity to paint you when this is all over."

"I'm afraid you won't get the chance," his opponent said, launching a dozen razor sharp needles of water toward him.

"Nonsense," he shot back, Susano-o freezing the environment around them. "There. Now there's no danger of you moving before I'm finished." He placed his hands together to gauge the composition of the solidified N'Doul, frowning. "On second thought..." he began, "you're far too ugly to be my subject."

Susano-o's blade cut N'Doul into exactly 100 fragments, the pieces shattering as they fell to the concrete sidewalk. Slowly, they began to liquefy and reform. "I see, so you can even survive that," Yusuke said, immediately refreezing him once more. "We'll try for 200 pieces next time, continuing until you can no longer come back together."

"He's gainin on us!" Ryuji shouted, pounding his own Persona on the head from where he'd clung to its back. Seiten Taisei was barely able to outrun Vanilla Ice's void with its cloud even after Ren had taken the opportunity to buff the team's agility and other attributes during the initial scramble, hoping he'd somehow fill himself up on asphalt as he chased them down.

His opponent's weakness quickly revealed itself, though, as a sharp left turn by Ryuji proved he couldn't see while he was inside the pocket dimension. After boring through a traffic light, Vanilla Ice was forced to peak out, receiving a massive bolt of electricity as he did so.

Learning from his mistakes, Vanilla Ice returned to his void and began attacking above street-level, making himself truly invisible. Miraculously, a combination of sheer luck and erratic movements meant that neither combatant was able to hit the other, both flying utterly blind as they tried to predict where the other would appear.

The next time he saw Vanilla Ice peak out from his void, Ryuji whistled to him, flying directly upwards once he knew he was watching. It didn't take him long to break through the overcast and into the sun. Once he did, he called back Seiten Taisei, falling backwards towards the ground.

"Got you!" he shouted, firing his Evoker once more as Vanilla Ice peaked out to see where he'd ended up. This his surprise, his enemy began to scream. Not one to let an opportunity pass him by, he called down (up?) a lightning storm to zap him until he was completely forced into the open, his body slowly being consumed by the light of the sun. "Wait, dude was a vampire? I was just gonna, like, blind him with the sun, holy shit!"

That left only Ren and Akechi. Both had spent their battle so far taking pot shots at one another and flinging various almighty strikes back and forth. Observing Ryuji descend from up above with that infuriating smile, he concluded Vanilla Ice was defeated. From the looks of things, both Enya and N'Doul wouldn't last much longer, either.

"Useless peons!" he said, jumping backwards. "Loki!" He first used his Persona to boost his physical attributes, shrugging off the impact of Yoshitsune's blade attack with minimal damage. "I'm the only one who can uphold my master's ideals! Only me!"

In a bid to push himself past his limits, Akechi once again drove himself into a fit of madness to increase his strength. "My master's will...compared to that, you're all dog shit!" With a scream that shook the ground around them, Loki began to spew magical energy in all directions. Beams of white light cut through the roads, managing to strike both the Phantom Thieves and his remaining allies given the sheer volume of power being released.

"I'll kill you all!" he shouted, gripping the side of his head. "Die!" Loki's blade lifted into the sky, swinging downward towards a downed Ren. "Stay down!" he shouted as the attack was intercepted by Seiten Taisei's staff, Ryuji being the first to recover from the attack.

"You're all weak!" Akechi said. "DIO is true power! Only DIO can change the world! Changing hearts? Reforming society? It's shit! The only one who can remake the world is DIO!"

"He's open for attack," Yusuke said as he took a position beside Ren.

"Let's knock him down and finish this!" Ryuji shouted.

"He won't escape!" Haru agreed.

Ren jumped to his feet, nodding to his teammates. "Don't hold back! Full power!" In unison, they launched forward with their Personas at the ready.

"Don't touch me!" Akechi screamed, summoning both a physical and magical shield to protect himself from Haru's psychic blast and Yusuke's blade. Both barriers painfully taken down, Ryuji was able to meet Loki's sword once again with Seiten Taisei, giving Ren ample time to slide beneath the both of them directly into Akechi's face.

In a panic, he raised his gun, pulling the trigger as the barrel pressed against Ren's forehead. He was entirely out of bullets, though.

Swatting the gun away with ease, Ren made a fist and, without the use of his Persona, weapons, or anything else, delivered a devastating punch straight to Akechi cheek. Loki vanished as its user tumbled down the road like a ragdoll, blood spraying from his mouth as the four Thieves closed in around him with their guns readied.

Gritting his teeth, Akechi tried to make it to his feet only to be met with Ren's pistol pointed straight at his head. "It's over," he told the former detective.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me," he snarled. "My master will still kill you and create a better world."

"You think this is a better world?" Ryuji said, gesturing to the massive amount of collateral damage their fight had created.

"The only thing DIO can create is suffering," Yusuke told him.

"He's no better than my father, Shido, or anyone else we've fought," Haru said.

"None of you know what you're talking about!" He beat his fist against the ground. "DIO saved me! He helped me when no one else would! Not even all of you!"

"You left us behind," Ren said.

"Betrayed our trust," Haru added.

"Manipulated us!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"And most of all, you're just a huge dick!" Ryuji stepped forward. "You think DIO cares about you? All he wanted was a way to get more power! He was sitting in a goddamn Palace when we last saw him! How did you get tricked like this?"

For the first time in the half a year since their first encounter, doubt began to creep into Akechi's mind. "You're...you're wrong! DIO would never abandon me! He wants to change the world for the better!"

"Then where is DIO now?" Haru asked. "He sent you and those other three Shadows to deal with us, but now that you've failed, he's more than content to leave you behind."

Akechi murmured to himself, trying to find a way to deny what they were saying. "Joker, just do it," Ryuji said grimly. "We can't convince him. DIO's got him."

Ren looked to each of them, his comrades in various states of acceptance over what had to be done to the inconsolable and incoherent Akechi. Closing his eyes, he did the only thing he could think to do in this situation.

He pocketed his gun and began to walk away. "Dude, what are you doing?"

"We can't just leave him be!" Yusuke told him.

"What if he comes to attack us again?" Haru asked. "We can't fight him and DIO at the same time, even when he's weakened!"

"It's over," Ren said with a shake of his head. "He won't bother us again."

All of them were stunned to silence at this remark, Akechi most of all. Eventually, he gathered his wits, stuttering, "Are you that foolish? You think I wouldn't betray you again?" In response, Ren tossed his pistol to Akechi, turning around and spreading his arms wide.

Raising the gun, Akechi prepared to fire, the rest of the Phantom Thieves training their weapons on him. But as much as he wanted to pull the trigger, he found that he just couldn't. Trying as hard as he could, Akechi eventually forced himself to drop the weapon. "How are you always right?" he asked.

"Search your heart," he replied, gesturing for the others to follow him. Slowly, they lowered their guns to group up with their leader.

"Wait," Akechi finally said, picking himself up off the ground. "I was wrong," he admitted. "Mas- DIO...the only thing he's concerned with is himself. I see that now. I didn't want to believe it after he saved my life, and I kept myself in denial because I couldn't face the fact I'd been fooled all over again."

He handed Ren his gun. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but please...please let me make this right."

"I should kick your ass right now," Ryuji said in disgust.

"If we survive this, I'll give you a free hit just like he had."

"That's not gonna fix anything, but I also really want to punch your smug ass face."

"I suppose it would be helpful to have another ally in the fight," Yusuke said, "though this is far from forgiveness on my part."

"He's right," Haru said. "You still have to face justice for everything you've done."

Akechi nodded, sighing in the way only someone who was truly exhausted could. "I'm tired of all of this. When this is over, I'll gladly submit myself to whoever can judge me."

"Is this okay?" Haru asked Ren. Without even a moment's hesitation, he extended his hand to Akechi who took it in turn. "I guess it is."

"Well, if our leader's on board," Ryuji said.

"Indeed. I'll follow this decision."

"I won't let you down this time," Akechi said. "Before we go, though, there's one thing I want to know. How did you know I wouldn't shoot you?"

Ren smiled, pointing his gun upwards and pulling the trigger. Nothing happened. "Out of bullets," he said.

"You people are unbelievable," Akechi said, shaking his head. Despite saying this, he found it to be extremely funny, resolving to follow Ren no matter the consequences.

Before they returned to the Metaverse and DIO's Palace, Ren made sure to summon Ishtar to restore the group to full health, splitting Sojiro's coffee with them to make sure they were refreshed for the coming battle.

Based on what was waiting for them in Mementos, they would need every advantage they could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter with the gang getting to show off their stuff. Hopefully it doesn't feel too one-sided, but given that these are just imperfect Shadows instead of the real people, it feels justified that they could be taken out by the Phantom Thieves most suited to fight them. That, and Akechi just decided to flip the board and finish off two of them himself.
> 
> I like that Joker's gun being empty was two-fold. Not only did he know Akechi couldn't shoot him, it also means he never had any intention of killing him in the first place. He still believed in the bond they made even after all this time.
> 
> Also really glad I got to write him going all Gurren Lagann and eschewing any special powers or weapons to just punch Akechi in the fucking face. Getting his ass beat made him not insane again.
> 
> For anyone keeping score at home, Joker's exact Persona lineup right now is Lucifer, Yoshitsune, Kohryu, Ishtar, Arsene, Rangda, Alice, Odin, Raphael, and something he fused for a special occasion. Probably going to open the DIO fight with Die for Me! like he should have done here, but he was too busy trying to reform Akechi through love and friendship and all that bullshit.
> 
> Sojiro saves the world yet again by restoring some of their SP. Akechi's been drinking, like, rain water for half a year, so he's probably losing his mind all over again at having something substantial on his tongue.
> 
> The story continues next chapter when we get to see how the gang is doing against DIO. I bet they were able to handle it. Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you like it. Always remember to stock up on items before a boss battle.


	14. Heaven is Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Akechi on their side, the Phantom Thieves finally go to confront DIO.

Upon returning to Mementos, the group found that DIO's Palace was in shambles. Large sections had entirely collapsed, others somehow being on fire. What this meant was anyone's guess, but the most likely answer was that they'd need to get to the throne room as quickly as possible.

When they finally entered the building, two things became apparent. First was that the Shadows who had previously taken up residence in this place had seemed to disappear. The second was that it was deathly quiet. It was hard to tell whether these were good things or not.

They found out they were decidedly not once they made it to their destination. The entire room was in shambles, DIO smirking on his half-destroyed throne with Jotaro and Star Platinum embedded in a stone slab above his head like a trophy. "I see you've returned, Akechi-kun," he said, propping up his chin on his hand. "This is a bit odd, though. You don't seem to have completed your mission."

"Master, I...what happened here?" The carnage around them was punctuated by a distinct lack of any of the Phantom Thieves. At least, on first glance.

A look of absolute horror passed through the group as they finally realized that a group of seemingly random objects around the room were their comrades. With his newfound power to rewrite reality, DIO's attacks had done far worse than simply kill them.

Ann had been unraveled like a ball of yarn, a continuous trail of herself strung around the room. While it was easy to overlook at first, Prometheus had been transformed into a tiny, black marble sitting between two stones in the floor, Futaba likely crushed inside. Morgana seemed to have gotten off easiest, simply being transformed into a plush toy of himself.

Then there was Makoto. Seemingly in keeping with the biblical nature of his abilities, DIO had chosen to transform her into a salt sculpture of herself in the corner of the room. The absolute fury and anguish of what were her final moments were permanently etched into her face.

"As you can," DIO began mockingly, "I chose to do some redecorating. Frankly, I have no use for this place anymore. Perhaps you could inherit it, Akechi-kun." He chuckled, seeing their speechless expressions. "Oh, I'm sure you're wondering how this came to be. Jotaro, would you mind telling them what became of their teammates?"

"Go to hell," he said, his tone showing that even he had lost all hope.

DIO simply laughed. "The wounds are still fresh, of course."

"Master, please!" Akechi pleaded. "This...this isn't a better world! If anything you've said to me over the time we spent together was genuine, then I'm begging you now to undo this!"

Standing from his chair, DIO casually walked forward. "Akechi-kun, you know that isn't possible. These people opposed me. Opposed our vision. They must be made an example of."

"But what does it matter if they oppose you or not? You've already obtained the power to reform the world in way you want! Can't you see what you're doing? You're not making a better world, only one that's distorted in your image!"

His expression dropped in what may have been disappointment. "I fail to see how that is not a better world," DIO said. "Akechi-kun, my life has been fraught with conflict because, even in my most triumphant moments, there would always be someone insignificant who would oppose me. Through both resolve and luck, I fell each time, but that will happen no more."

The World Over Heaven appeared, picking up a handful of rocks and crushing them in its fist. When it opened it again, a silenced pistol made to Akechi's specifications was waiting for him. "I would never doubt your loyalty, Akechi-kun. It was because of you that I was able to attain Heaven, after all. That being said, I'm afraid these vermin are trying to pervert your mind with doubt and lies."

Handing the gun to Akechi, he gave him a simple command. "Now, as you requested, finish them."

During this time, Haru had separated from the rest of the group. Almost in a daze, she found herself wandering towards what remained of Makoto. She couldn't stop herself from crying as she reached out to touch her face, salt residue sticking to her gloved hands as the realization that her partner was dead began to hit her.

Seeing this from the corner of his eye, DIO turned his attention to Haru with a chuckle. "Were you perhaps close?" he asked. "I was almost impressed with that one's tenacity. It reminded me of a certain woman I knew once whose life I spared. As you can see, though, I did not extend the same courtesy to this one."

His laughter echoing through her head, Haru clenched her fists, rage building. "You have nothing left to fear," DIO continued. "Soon, you'll feel nothing. Rejoice, for I, DIO, am truly merciful even to my enemies."

With a scream loud enough to shatter the Heaven DIO dreamed of for all those years, Haru called out Astarte and let loose a full salvo again the vampire. Akechi barely had time to retreat before the blasts began to hit, augmented by Haru's grenade launcher.

Everyone knew this would do nothing, but Haru couldn't be bothered to care anymore. If they were all going to die, she would at least do what little she could to avenge her Mako-chan. Predictably, DIO was unbothered by this, merely walking forward through the blasts which seemed to be becoming more and more erratic with each moment, flying off into random directions to destroy the walls around them.

"Your ability is quite strong," DIO complimented, Haru pointlessly pulling the trigger on an empty gun as he moved within reach of her. "In another situation, I might have even made you one of my followers. Now, I'll simply end your suffering."

He placed his index finger against Haru's forehead, beginning the process of turning her to salt just as he had Makoto. Realizing this was the end, she did the only thing she could think to do. Her final moments were spent looking back to Makoto and holding the hand of the statue, the two becoming forever linked.

"Now, who shall I liberate next?" DIO asked the group.

"How about you try me?" Jotaro said, putting everything he had into a single punch from Star Platinum to knock DIO through a wall. "It wasn't for nothing," he whispered, acknowledging Haru's true goal of breaking his binds.

Realizing they had mere seconds before DIO would be back, Jotaro sprinted to the remaining Thieves. "We don't have much time," he said. "If you've got anything left to throw at him, now's your chance. I'm pretty tapped."

"What could we even do against a monster like that?" Yusuke asked, still readying his Persona.

"No clue, but I ain't coming here just to die!" Ryuji said, removing his mask.

"And I won't be manipulated any longer," Akechi said, Loki coming to his side and casting a spell to increase the group's power.

"We're going to stop him. For everyone!" Ren summoned Alice, casting her signature ability the moment DIO walked back into the room. Though it appeared to do more than most attacks had up to this point, DIO was still alive – generally a bad sign for a spell meant to cause instantaneous death to all enemies.

"It's not working!" Ryuji said as they all launched a series of attacks to compound with Ren's.

"DIO's attained Heaven," Akechi said. "If that's even half as powerful as he told me, he really has surpassed the level of a god."

"Then let's find out," Ren said. Removing his mask once more, he called out the only thing left that might stand a chance against the tyrant. "Pillage him, Satanael!" Tearing through the chains that bound him, both literal and metaphorical, the symbol of the Phantom Thieves' resolve appeared on the battlefield once more, breaking apart what remained of the Palace with its immense size.

"Joker!" Akechi shouted, throwing him the gun DIO had made for him. "That one has ammo."

He nodded, Satanael charging up its attack as it raised its weapon. Overconfident as always, DIO merely laughed in the face of challenge, crossing his arms and patiently waiting for Ren's signal. "Do as you like!" he said. "None can stand against DIO!"

"Begone!" Ren shouted, the Sinful Shell spiraling out of Satanael's barrel as he pulled the trigger. Realizing far too late what he'd signed up for, DIO summoned The World Over Heaven to try and stop the impact. Though it managed to catch the bullet, it was merely delaying the inevitable.

"Impossible!" DIO screamed as half his body was torn through by the attack. The world around them shattered like glass, bringing them back to the tunnels of Mementos as the distortion had cleared.

Though still alive, it was clear DIO's reign was at an end. Missing half his body and only a sliver of his head, he tried desperately to repair the damage done to himself, but it refused to change. "How...how could this...happen…? I...am DIO!"

"You're an old man who doesn't know when to die," Jotaro said as the group approached him. "This time, don't even think about coming back."

"Just another shitty adult who wants to ruin the world so he can live big!" Ryuji agreed.

"Detestable in every way," Yusuke added. Akechi merely sighed, wondering how he could have ever been fooled by a bunch of flowery words and praise by such an evil soul.

"By the way, if you stop time, I'll make it hurt even more." Jotaro cracked his neck, Star Platinum at the ready.

Then, from out of nowhere, a voice could be heard. "Well done, children." Seemingly without his provocation, The World Over Heaven appeared behind DIO, none of his injuries having transferred to its body. "I mean that sincerely. You've pushed us far beyond what I thought would be possible."

"What the hell?" Jotaro said, never having scene a phenomenon like this before.

"Is his Stand...sentient?" Akechi questioned, unable to come up with any answers despite having spent so much time with DIO.

"Where are my manners?" it said. "I should introduce myself properly, since Philemon has only bothered to inform one of you in the vaguest terms. My name is Nyarlathotep, The Crawling Chaos. I am an entity born from the dark thoughts of humanity."

"Then I take it you're the reason DIO made it here," Jotaro said, realizing their initial battle was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Quite an astute observation," it said. "It's been some time since my game with Philemon ended. I was patient in finding a way to regain my power. I even explored other worlds to see if a viable strategy existed. In one of them, I learned of a man named DIO thanks to the adoration of his follower, Pucci."

"DIO has followers in another world?" Akechi said, feeling even more betrayed than before.

"You weren't foolish to believe you were the only one, right?" It shook its head. "As I was saying, I created a new form for DIO using the memories of Pucci, placing him inside the Palace of Masayoshi Shido. And it just so happened to be on the day you were fated to die by your double's hand."

"Impossible," Yusuke murmured. "Everything we've done was set in motion...by you?"

"In a manner of speaking. It's more accurate to say I simply had faith in your triumph over the Holy Grail. Though our goals may be similar, it merely wished to subjugate you beings. I will only be content with annihilation. And what better way to facilitate that...than with Philemon's own gift of the wild card?"

"I don't know what half of the shit you're sayin even means," Ryuji said, brandishing his club. "But if we gotta kick your ass to save the world, then come on!"

"All this talking's starting to bore me, too," Jotaro agreed.

Nyarlathotep chuckled. "Very well," it said, seemingly prepared to assume a new form. "Then, without further ado, I will-" It stopped speaking, noticing DIO clawing at it from below. "Excuse me one moment," it said to the group.

"My Stand...will not...betray me..." DIO growled, sinking his fingers into Nyarlathotep's torso.

"It won't do you any good," it told him. "You're a mere Cognition brought to life by my own powers. You couldn't possibly...possibly...couldn't...what are you doing?" Its voice suddenly became more panicked, gripping DIO's arm to try and rip it apart. "Stop that right now!"

"I won't...be beaten! I...am...DIO!" With a determined shout, The World Over Heaven's form began to sag and contort, seemingly being pulled inside DIO as if it was having its blood sucked. "You are mine!"

In a tremendous flash of light, Nyarlathotep disappeared. Shortly after, DIO's uproarious laughter could be heard echoing through Mementos. "Jotaro," he said as the dust began to settle. "Where you there when I sucked your grandfather's blood?" DIO's body had been restored, now even more muscular and beautiful than before. A black crown had formed on his now faceless head, a pair of large bat-like wings on his back fused with The World's holster-like apparatus.

"When I called that feeling the greatest high, I never could have imagined I would experience this!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty traumatic scene to walk in on for those kids. Surprised Haru's the only one who started shooting right off the bat.
> 
> Finally got to see Satanael make its big appearance. Heat Riser Sinful Shell is about the only thing that can take out DIO at this point outside of another Star Platinum asspull power.
> 
> Since this is Persona, though, it can never be as simple as a human(-like) character doing bad things. There's always some evil god manipulating shit from behind the scenes. At least now Philemon showing up makes sense. Wonder if he's going to factor into this again.
> 
> Now we've created a new form of DIO. We'll call it DIO, Gone to Hell. Finally took Jotaro's advice after all these years.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Share with a friend if you're enjoying it. Always remember that DIO will always find some way to put himself back in the spotlight.


	15. The Phantom Thieves' Last Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With DIO's power having grown beyond anyone's imagination, the Phantom Thieves must use everything at their disposal to try and right the wrongs he's committed.

DIO's evil was so great that it began to distort Mementos around them once more, turning the blood red tunnel into a chilling blue. The Shadows that had gathered to watch, disobeying their natural urge to run due to sheer confusion, began to writhe in pain and splatter apart, seemingly poisoned by the vampire's influence.

It was likely incorrect to even say he was a vampire anymore. DIO had ascended humanity, vampirism, the world of cognition, and even a god itself to become what stood before the last remnants of the Phantom Thieves and their allies.

"I've grown tired of our game," he said suddenly. His wings expanded, raising him into the air with the gusts of wind they produced threatening to blow his adversaries into the distance. "Having merged with my Stand, The World Over Heaven, I no longer feel concerned with this. I've realized that there will always be resistance to my rule, no matter how absolute my control. The only solution is to purge all other life from this world."

"Like we'd let you!" Ryuji said. "Joker, load up another shot!" The moment that sentence finished, he froze in place. Everything around him did, as well, this new DIO having stopped time.

"Your resistance is impossible," he said. "There is no longer any limit to my ability to stop time. I will bring about the end of life in a world of stillness. Then, no one will be able to challenge my power ever again, Joestar or otherwise."

In that space between seconds, Philemon finally made his move. Ren's spirit was recalled to the Velvet Room one last time, Philemon standing on his own without Igor or Lavenza in sight. "I apologize for not giving you a clearer idea of the danger you were in," he began. "I never imagined my old foe could be changed into this."

"Have we lost?" Ren asked, the faintest glimmer of hope still held in his heart.

"If I'm honest, that's most likely the truth. Even so, I will continue to fight so long as humans do." He held out his hand, a swirling, golden light appearing above his palm. "It took me quite a while to acquire this power. Here, use it to even the odds. Become humanity's last chance."

The light pulled Ren's mask towards it, being absorb inside as what seemed to be a new Persona. "There's not much time left," Philemon reminded him. "Good luck, Trickster. May we meet again some day."

In a snap, he returned to the scene before him, somehow able to observe DIO's movements in the stopped time. Moving entirely on instinct, Ren grabbed his mask, the action alarming the monster that stood before them. "Go! Chronos!"

As he called its name, the power that Philemon had worked to find once again made itself known. Even its previous master hadn't fully understood its true nature, the golden warrior's clock-face ticking away in the stopped time.

"What do you intend to do with that creature?" DIO asked, somewhat cautious as to the appearance of the Persona and Ren's newfound ability to move in stopped time.

"Time moves again," he said, his allies suddenly being freed from their paralysis.

"That isn't possible," DIO said, his voice raising a bit for the first time since his declaration of genocide. "I am the true master of time. No one may tread in my domain now."

"Better get yours eyes checked, then, since it sounds like you need glasses," Jotaro said. "Actually, on second thought, don't waste your time. We'd just break them while we're beating your face in."

"Dude, he doesn't even have a face anymore," Ryuji said. "You gotta work on those lines."

"Perhaps a tasteful haiku next time?" Yusuke asked, already readying Kamu Susano-o.

"I'll find him a thesaurus later," Akechi said, using Loki to once again boost everyone's abilities. "There's bigger problems to deal with now.

Punching the ground, DIO once again transformed the environment into a flat plain, wanting to have the room necessary to properly deal with the pests. "I will start my cleansing with you lot," he said, flying out of reach to begin charging a malefic ball of energy between his hands and wings.

"Okay, that's bad," Ryuji stammered. "Uh, anyone got some ideas on how to stop it?"

"I ran out of ideas a week ago," Jotaro said bluntly. "I've mostly just been winging it whenever you kids show up. I don't think anyone else is coming to help this time."

"Maybe..." Ren said, thinking. "We need to keep him distracted until help arrives."

Akechi's eyes went wide. "Joker, are you really saying-" Ren's nod only furthered his disbelief. "Will that even work? I don't think it's even here anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Jotaro asked.

"The Reaper," Akechi explained. "It's an extremely powerful Shadow that comes around if you stay in one place for too long in Mementos. The problem is it might not even exist after everything that's happened now."

"It's better than nothing, but we can't just stand around talking. Every second we waste is-"

"Wry!" DIO cried, launching his attack after being politely allowed to finish its immense charging time.

"Whatever you're planning, do it!" Yusuke said, placing his Persona in front of the blast. "And when this is done, I expect my urn to look as picturesque as I'd always imagined." Before they even had time to ask what he meant, Kamu Susano-o embraced the blast, causing it to explode directly in front of it just as a ball of ice formed around them. Despite having walls at least 30 centimeters thick, it was still melted with ease and sent the rest of the group flying backwards.

All that was left of Yusuke was his mask. Despite the sorrow this instilled, they soldiered on. "Kid, if you're going to summon your Reaper, or whatever, get on it right now." DIO was already beginning to charge a second shot, apparently no longer subscribing to the ideology of saving your best moves for last.

"I can sense everything in the stopped time," Ren said. "It's still here." Focusing in on it, he closed his eyes. "Time moves again," he declared, the Reaper now free to move about once more. Given that everything else was frozen in place, the sound of its approaching chains was of no surprise.

While things may have been looking up, they were prepared to become just as bad once more. Ren fell to one knee, clutching his chest. "What's wrong?" Akechi said.

Through labored breathing, he managed to say, "Heart..."

"Shit, it's just like me," Jotaro said. "I can only use my time stop for a limited amount of time because of the strain it puts on my heart. Right now, he's letting all of us hitch a ride off his power. It's tearing him apart."

"Then we better get this done fast!" Ryuji said, helping Ren up by putting his arm over his shoulder. "Satanael! That's the only way!"

"Is it still going to work?" Akechi asked. "It wasn't even successful in killing DIO last time. Now he's grown even more powerful."

"We're running out of options," Jotaro said. "That thing takes a long ass time to shoot, so get to work. Your friend's just about here." Just as he said this, the Reaper burst onto the scene, firing wildly at DIO given that he was the biggest target and the first person it encountered.

"Another ally?" DIO said, redirecting himself to fire on the Shadow. Though he did more damage than the Phantom Thieves were ever capable of in all their encounters with the creature, it still stood, casting several instant death spells on its enemy.

Thoroughly distracted, Ren went through the process of summoning Satanael once more. The demon emerged from behind him, straining his already wavering stamina. "It won't be enough," he stammered, already knowing it as the Sinful Shell began to load.

"I didn't want to resort to this, but I have an idea," Akechi said suddenly. Calling on Loki, he explained. "If I use my ability to turn you psychotic, it will also increase your attacking strength. But...I don't know if that's even going to help, and if it does, will you be able to recover?"

Ren looked from Akechi to Ryuji. "Of course he will," his friend said unexpectedly. "He's our leader. Nothin's gonna stop him." With a smile, they both nodded to each other. "I've got your back, just like always.

"We're out of time," Jotaro reported, the Reaper finally falling to DIO's attacks as it was ripped into pieces.

"Do it!" Ren shouted, Akechi gritting his teeth as he cast his power onto him. Immediately, his vision went red, the surge of power accompanied by all manner of visual and audio hallucinations. He was quickly beginning to regret this decision, unable to even see straight let alone fire on DIO.

A swirl of faces and voices assaulted his mind, forcing him to relive his past traumas mixed with the natural wailing of Mementos cranked up as loud as it could go. The only constant he could focus on was Ryuji, his hand having come to hold his, both sharing Akechi's loaned gun. "We can do it!" he said. "We've gotta!"

In a split second of clarity, Ren saw their target. "Begone!" he said once more, pouring every last drop of energy into that single attack as the two of them pulled the trigger.

The Shell flew forward, DIO drawing his collected power into his fists. "Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!" It almost appeared that he was beating it back, his pinpoint punches chipping away at the bullet despite its massive spin and the unholy power it contained.

"This ends here, DIO," Jotaro said, grabbing him from behind and placing him into a full nelson. "For both of us!" With no means of defending himself, DIO could only watch as the Shell pierced his chest, drilling its way into him and out the other side to blow a whole straight through the cognitive world itself.

As the world around them shattered like glass to reveal a shining white expanse, Ren, Ryuji, and Akechi were left to wonder what kind of world they'd awaken to. Assuming they woke up at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter. The next one is where things finally end. Probably going to take me another day to make that since I'm about to die.
> 
> Important piece of information I left out in the second chapter was whether or not they ever killed the Reaper. They did not, but now they don't have to. Thanks, DIO.
> 
> And so ends the tale of DIO and the Joestars. They died as they lived: In suggestively homoerotic poses while screaming.
> 
> I think writing all of this shows I'm more than qualified to take over for Persona 6. Like, I remember that Persona 2 exists way more than anyone at Atlus, so that's got to count for something. Probably not, but I still really want to. It's not like it could turn out worse than any of the last decade's worth of Sonic games. Pretty sure they just grab any old fucker off the street and let them go to town each time they need a new one of those.
> 
> Do you think they survived? Even if they did, what's the use in living in a world where you watched all your friends die to an evil vampire god man from another dimension? We'll address those questions next time.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Share with a friend before the end here. Always remember to keep hope alive.


	16. Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle with DIO has finally concluded and the Phantom Thieves must pick up the pieces.

****Ren was the first to wake up, a noisily chirping bird stirring him from what felt like a warm nap in the sun. To his right was Ryuji, drooling onto his shoulder, while Akechi sat to his left in what seemed to be fitful slumber.

With a sigh equal parts relief and sadness, he leaned his head back. "It's over," he said.

"Somebody say something?" Ann mumbled, apparently stirred from her own sleep. Ren's head snapped to her voice, his friend indeed alive and scratching her eyes while Futaba lay curled in her lap while having an apparently interesting dream given how much she was squeezing something with her hands. "Wait, where are we?"

"Leblanc, from the looks of it," Yusuke said, having woken up across the street. "But...how did we get here?"

"Wait, more importantly, I thought we were..."

"Can't a guy get some sleep around here?" Morgana bemoaned, walking up without having realized what had happened.

Ryuji began to wake, too. "Dude, what happened? Did we win? Er, did we dream it? Can I go back to bed?"

"Huh? Is everyone..." Makoto looked around, noting Haru sleeping peacefully beside her. "Did we...make it?"

"Looks that way," Jotaro said, rubbing the sides of his head with one hand. "Don't ask me how, though. No freaking clue what happened. Last I checked, I died."

"Then I guess our last attack did it," Akechi said as he keyed into the conversation upon waking. "We...actually defeated DIO."

"What's Akechi doing here?" Ann asked, unsure if she should be ready for a fight or not and pinching Futaba's cheek to wake her up just in case."

"He switched sides at the last second," Jotaro explained. "Actually came in pretty handy at the end there."

"Just trying to make up for what I've done," he said.

From off to the side, Haru finally stirred. The first thing she saw was Makoto's face, thinking it must be just a dream. As her vision cleared, though, she quickly understood it to be reality. All attempts at speaking were rendered failures, unable to contain her tears for more than a few seconds as she hugged Makoto as tight as she could.

"There's no need to cry," she said, proving herself a hypocrite as she started to do the same. "We made it."

"I-I saw you...and you...and I...I tried to...but..." Haru only made herself cry harder, in turn tightening her hold around Makoto.

"It's okay," she told her as she held her close. "It's over now." Wiping Haru's eyes for her, she said, "Do you remember what I said before? The insurance?" They both laughed, leading into a very long-awaited kiss.

"Hey, that reminds me," Ryuji said as he stood up. Stretching both his shoulders, he walked over to Akechi and punched him as hard as he could straight in the nose. "Damn, that felt good!"

"I deserved that!" Akechi shouted as he fell to the ground, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea.

As Ryuji patted himself on the back for that, Ren tapped his shoulder. "Oh, uh, right." His embarrassment was immediately clear. "I mean, I guess that, too, but you can totally back out, man. Like, it was a joke, remember? I said that. I ain't gonna be upset."

With a sigh, Ren grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in for a their promised kiss, leaving him in a stupor. Ren pushed up his glasses, a smug smile forming on his lips as Ryuji tried to babble his way into saying how it was no big deal.

"You guys mind if I call Shiho?" Ann said, the massive outpouring of love following their near-deaths having shaken something inside her.

"Kind of," Futaba said. "I'm going to be the only one who's still single if you do that!"

"I don't have anyone to kiss," Yusuke said, almost sounding disappointed.

"Hey, me either!" Morgana shouted.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume no one wants to kiss me," Akechi said while plugging his nose, receiving a loud, "Yes!" in response.

"Good grief," Jotaro said. "You kids just saved the entire planet. Is this how you react to that?"

"Should we be acting some other way?" Makoto said, temporarily pulling her face away from Haru's.

Jotaro adjusted his hat. "On second thought, whatever. I'll tell you if I ever figured it out for myself."

The door to the cafe opened, Sojiro stepping out and saying, "Who's making all that-" He froze in place. "Oh. You made it back." He looked to each of them, stopping on Jotaro with an apologetic smile. "All of you did."

Suddenly, he noticed Akechi. "Hey, aren't you the Detective Prince? Weren't you trying to kill everyone last year?"

"It's a long story," he sighed. "While everyone's here, though, I want to truly apologize for what I've done to you. The fact I was tricked doesn't change anything. Like I said before, I'm going to turn myself into the police and face justice for all my crimes."

"That's what you deserve," Futaba said with a scowl.

"Not just for us, but for everyone," Morgana agreed, Akechi nodding along.

With a sigh, Ryuji realized he'd have to be the dissenting opinion this time around. "That's still all true, but...kinda be a shame if he missed the after party. You know, since he did help us beat DIO."

"After party?" Akechi said, puzzled as to what he could mean.

"I mean, we are havin one, right? That cool with you, Boss?"

"Sure," he said. "You can have it here after we close. Curry, right?"

"You remembered!" Futaba shouted.

Akechi was still just as baffled. "You would...actually want me there?"

"'Want' is a strong word," Makoto said.

"But it is true we wouldn't have been able to defeat DIO without your help," Haru told him.

"And I guess there's not really a difference if you turn yourself in today or tomorrow," Ann agreed.

"What we're tryin say is..." Ryuji scratched his head. "If you're not gonna be a dick about it this time, maybe a second chance wouldn't be so bad." He looked to the others, receiving a nod from each of them. "Right?"

Akechi began to laugh, shaking his head. "You all really are a bunch of fools. But I suppose that would make me the biggest fool of all."

"Enough of this sappy stuff!" Ryuji said, stomping his feet. "We've gotta go get stuff for the party! And this dude needs some new clothes."

"Me?" Akechi asked in disbelief. "What's wrong with my outfit?"

"You look like a total weirdo!" Ann said, wondering if he got dressed in the dark every day and just never had access to a mirror.

"Seriously," Morgana said. "What are those pants even for? They don't make sense, and I don't even wear pants!"

"The aesthetics of your outfit are questionable, to say the least," Yusuke agreed.

"Alright, I understand," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "Does anyone have some I could borrow? I think the police may have seized everything I owned at some point. I also have no money."

"Are you for real?" Ryuji said, shaking his head in disbelief. "We'll figure somethin out. Let's grab the food first."

As the Thieves ran off to the market down the alley, Sojiro approached Jotaro. "They all made it back," he said, correcting himself, "plus one more."

"I couldn't protect them," he said. "You wouldn't be saying this if you knew how badly things turned out before."

"What's important is that you're all here now," he told him. "I spoke without thinking before. Sorry. It can't be easy throwing yourself into danger like that all the time."

"I still should have been faster," Jotaro said, adjusting his hat.

"If we blamed ourselves for everything she should have been able to do, I don't think either of us would still be here right now." He nudged his shoulder. "Come on. You look like you could use some coffee."

* * *

 

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Sae said to Akechi as they stood outside the police station.

He nodded. "I've run from things for too long. Right now, I just want to to end things. A part of me still believes in justice, you know."

"Everyone thinks you're dead. You could easily set up somewhere quiet under a fake name. I'm sure you know how to acquire the right documents for that."

"It's hard to believe a former prosecutor would even suggest something like that," he laughed. "More to the point, I'm not sure why you're accompanying me. I'm prepared to face the full extent of the law for my crimes."

"Call it a professional courtesy," she said. "For when we used to work together. I'll represent you during your trial if nothing else. Besides, Makoto won't admit it, but she still has hope for you. They all do."

Akechi sighed. "They just won't give up on me."

"You look good, by the way. Short hair suits you."

He touched his head, giving a nervous chuckle. "Takamaki-san cut it for me yesterday. She did...her best."

"No use stalling any longer," Sae told him. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that what you're doing is for the best."

He nodded. "It's finally time to stop running."

* * *

 

"...and I sat outside her room for two hours trying to get her to explain the joke to me, but she just kept laughing! Honestly, do you know what 'updog' means?"

"No clue," Jotaro said. "Sort of reminds me of the time Jolyne colored in a bunch of my books, but she wouldn't admit it even when I showed them to her."

"Futaba did that to a cookbook once when I was watching her for Wakaba. She kept telling me it was fine since I didn't need it to make her favorite curry."

"Sojiro, I'm hungry!" Futaba said as she walked through the door of Leblanc. "Make curry, quick!"

"See what I mean?" he said with a chuckle.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked as she took a seat at the counter next to Jotaro.

"Just a couple of old men talking about our kids. Where have you all been today?"

"Went to talk to Akechi while he's in lockup," Ryuji said as he slumped into a booth.

"He's taking it pretty well, all things considered," Makoto said.

"Apparently, he plans to start a blog reviewing prison food once the trial is finished," Yusuke said. "It almost sounds interesting."

Sojiro nodded as he served up a plate of curry for Futaba. "At least things aren't all doom and gloom anymore. Maybe he'll get out sometime in the next 40 years and we can throw another party."

"We'll probably be waiting for that for a while," Ann said. "We sat there for three minutes while he listed off everything they were charging him with."

"I almost felt bad for him," Futaba said as she shoveled more food into her mouth.

"Then I guess things are kind of back to normal," Sojiro said with a nod.

"Isn't there something we still need to consider?" Haru asked.

Jotaro nodded. "I'm still here," he said. "The Speedwagon Foundation building disappeared this morning, but I haven't."

"I mean, you can just hang out with us if you want," Ryuji shrugged.

"There's worse things I could do with my time, but I'll probably lose my job if I don't get back to work soon. No idea what I'm going to do to explain all these vacation days." This seemed to be the moment Philemon was waiting for, as the world suddenly became drenched in shadows as it came to a halt.

"What's going on?" Haru asked, everyone beginning to panic.

"Seriously? Already?" Ryuji was just about done with all this bullshit.

"You have nothing to fear," Philemon said, flying between the group as a glimmering blue butterfly.

Jotaro stood up, sighing. "Good grief. I take it you're the guy who sent me here in the first place?"

"That's correct," he said. Sorry for the inconvenience.

"Well, it was DIO, so I guess you didn't have much of a choice. Are you taking me home now?"

"Yes," he replied. "You've all done good work here. You've earned your rest."

"It's kind of sad," Futaba said. "We only knew you for a little bit, but it's still going to feel weird when you're gone."

"You never did model for me," Yusuke joked.

Jotaro smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. "You all turned out to be pretty reliable allies. If you ever need help again, I'll find a way to come back."

"Same here," Ryuji told him.

"The Phantom Thieves will always come to help," Ren said, the two nodding to each other. A single flash of light was all it took for Jotaro to vanish, leaving only the group's leader in the darkened space with Philemon.

"I'd like to thank you personally, Trickster. Without you, Nyarlathotep and the Cognition he created would have won this fight and life would be no more. My associates and I will continue to support you and your allies in any way we can. I expect great things from you and the rest of humanity."

He nodded to the creature before him. "We'll keep working to change the world." Another flash of light returned Ren to his friends. Normalcy restored once more, they could enjoy the rest of their summer vacation without issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached the end. Their journeys might be far from over, but this small part of it has come to a close.
> 
> In typical fashion, we need to end on an American pop song, so I nominate Ocean Man for that job. Both for its memeability but also because it's a good song that has an appropriate feel to play over a montage of, like, Jotaro going to see his ex-wife and Jolyne, Ren/Ryuji and Haru/Makoto on a double date where Ryuji starts stomping on a table at a fancy restaurant because he thinks the waiter's being a prick, Yusuke forcing Morgana to wear a tiny replica of Jotaro's outfit to sketch (that he wasted all of his money on), Futaba staying up for four days to catch up on all the stuff she missed, Ann and Shiho being all Lesbian Sheep at each other, Sojiro's regulars all coming at once to show their appreciation that he's open again, Sae visiting Akechi in prison, etc.
> 
> Got to show my appreciation for the weekend citrus bloke for commenting on basically every chapter of this mess. Kept me motivated when the evil thoughts of, "Maybe I can just have, like, five ongoing stories at once without a problem, and also start working on this one about Shizuka teaming up with Giorno and Mista to go find her birth parents in Morioh to explain why Passione didn't help fight Pucci," started creeping in. You're the real The World Over Heaven-disguised Nyarlathotep here, in that you prevent me (DIO) from making incredibly bad decisions based on vanity and The Drama as you plot in the background.
> 
> If you're looking for more Joey JoJo, I've also got Blood of the Phantom coming close to its end about how Jonathan became a vampire and Dio had to learn Hamon to fight him. Also got one about how I think Jotaro meeting his wife would have gone down called In Our Lifetime? (where the ? is part of the title, not me questioning my own title and being unable to click a button to go to my own page). Got a couple of goofy one-shots about Josuke and one kind of sad one-shot about young Joseph, too.
> 
> More Persona stuff only comes in eXtra large (again, part of the title and not me not knowing how to spell). Violet Poppy Rebirth kind of poses the question, "Hey, what if Joker was actually kind of a bastard?" in the form of a new protagonist in a story I completely just made up that'll probably carry on for a good 50 chapters or more, so that's a task.
> 
> If, for some inexplicable reason, you're thinking about Silent Hill right now, I've got one of those, too. In the same vein as Persona eXtra, Cinder's about a new person's journey through the town and coping with past trauma and repressed memories in the form of hell creatures and fire. Only got two chapters right now, but I'll probably start writing it more frequently now that my schedule's getting clearer.
> 
> And since I was a 90's kid who had no friends, also got lots of Yugioh. One that came out of me joking with someone else about how there is no conceivable way Duel Academy has as many students as you see in group shots, so most of them are some kind of hologram or spirit or three monkeys in a coat (or Monsters of Academia as the case may be). Also got one called The King's True Rival about ARC-V Jack Atlas trying to find ARC-V Yusei who never appeared in the show, plus the predictably named Luster that I wrote for someone who really liked the lesbait characters in ARC-V before one got written out of the show and the other got hit with the hetero-stick that sent her into the fridge.
> 
> Last is the thing that made me get an account in the first placed called Reda, which is seemingly named randomly but in traditional Yugioh spinoff fashion actually has a meaning to decode. About a spunky lesbian who wants to be the best like no one ever was, except I'm writing this story and I saw Madoka once. That one actually updates on a monthly schedule.
> 
> I'm doing all this shilling because I have nowhere else to advertise my stuff.
> 
> The most important thing of all is that you all know I appreciate you as readers. I Rohan these chapters out for the satisfaction of knowing my work is being read by other people, so there'd be no stories without all of you. This is a thank you akin to seeing the, "And you!" in the credits of a video game. If you want to give back, just share what you like with a friend so I can get more people seeing my nonsense.
> 
> That's all we've got here. Maybe we'll see these crazy kids again one of these days. Always remember to appreciate the people around you.
> 
> Also, wrote this one-shot for FMA if anyone's interested. About Heathcliff from the one OVA who makes friends with Mustang and Hughes but gets shot in the war. Wanted to give him a proper ending since no one else cares about him.


End file.
